The Games Of Fate
by Sandylee007
Summary: SPOILERS One week after Pein’s attack there’s an encounter that turns the lives of Naruto and Sasuke around forever. What decisions will be made when nothing’s the same? YAOI MPREG NaruSasu NINESHOT
1. The End Of One World

A/N: Heeeh, I think some of you may have red my warning that this one was coming. I couldn't help it – this has been crawling in my buzzing brain for so long that I don't think I would've been able to remain sane if I hadn't let this one out. (grins) Don't ask me why, but I've been dying to make a one more MPREG story.

WARNINGS: Let's see, now this list is long… (sweatdrops) YAOI, MPREG (heh, obviously), SPOILERS, language, at times rather clear sexual themes, possible mentions of abuse, language, general weirdness… Okay, does any of you dare to actually read this one?

DISCLAIMER: Me, OWN something of Naruto?! (laughs until is unable to breathe and going bluish) That's the BEST joke EVER!

Okay, I think I've been tormenting you long enough, so let's roll! (grins) I really hope you'll find this one worth your while.

**THIS STARTS OUT A WEEK FROM THE CURRENT MANGA EVENTS, SO SPOILERS ARE GUARANTEED**.

* * *

**PHASE ONE: The End Of One World**

* * *

The first thing Naruto felt when waking up was a headache, such that it felt like someone had been pushing a kunai or something as unpleasant though his skull. It took several moments before details finally started to sink in.

He brought a pair of hands to cover his eyes and swallowed a rather loud moan trying to escape. " Oh crap…"

So it all still hadn't been proven to be just a nightmare.

" 'Morning, Naruto." Moving his hands and turning his gaze towards the voice, he found Sakura approaching, and couldn't help noticing how tired the girl looked. " Did you sleep well?"

He pushed himself into a sitting position and blinked a little to clear at least some of the haze covering his mind. " Fine." _What now had a million nightmares…_

Sakura seemed to sense his lie, because her hand brushed his shoulder somewhat comfortingly while she passed by, opening the room's window. Sounds of heavy rebuilding assaulted their ears, reminded them painfully of what'd been lost. " I've got some good news, by the way."

His blue eyes immediately flashed with hope, which was something that hadn't been seen a lot during the past week. His gaze flew to the pinkette. " Is Baa-chan finally awake?" She'd already been in a coma of some sort for a week. She couldn't just sleep forever, right?

The way Sakura's green eyes darkened, however, immediately crushed all traces of hope there'd been in him. She sighed heavily. " No – her Chakra waves are still weak and abnormal." She then managed to smile just a little bit. " But according to Shizune you're good to go home. All you need to get to leave this place is a little check up."

He blinked a bit while the girl started her work. It took a moment before his voice worked. " Sakura-chan… Do you think Konoha will ever really get through this?"

-

Sakura didn't know how to react to Naruto's words – seeing the usually optimistic and cheery blond like this scared her.

She knew that even though Kakashi was gone and Tsunade was slipping away a little more each day she'd been lucky. Her home had been spared, her parents were alive and well.

And Naruto… He'd lost another one of those few people he'd ever had.

She swallowed thickly, and focused firmly on checking up the blond.

She'd have to protect what was still left of the original Team Seven.

" Yes Naruto", she murmured, because that was what she needed and wanted to believe. " Konoha… It's been through too much to crumble under this. So stop worrying."

Silence was her soul response.

* * *

About an hour later Naruto was stood outside the hospital, and blinked at the almost surreal sight that met him.

Although it'd been a week already, it looked like almost none of the destruction had been fixed. The once proud and strong village was in shambles, still too confused by the hit it'd received to get back to its unsteady feet.

Such a view actually hurt him physically, and he shuddered a little although the day was warm.

" Well look who's finally out on the loose." Shikamaru's voice startled him so that he jumped a little before turning around the face the brunette. The boy was looking at him with a questioning expression. " Are you okay? You look pale."

He managed to grin. " Yeah, I've just been laying around way too long." His gaze then strayed to the brunette's leg, which was still covered by a thick cast. " How's your leg?"

Shikamaru groaned, scratching the obviously itchy limb. " Troublesome." The boy's expression then changed into that of thoughtfulness or perhaps discomfort. " Look… I'm sorry, about Kakashi."

He first shivered a little – surprised by the twinge of ache that attacked – then smiled faintly. " Thanks." There was a small moment of mutual understanding, after which he turned his back on the desolate sight spreading everywhere around them and prepared to walk away. " I've been in the hospital for so long that I need some fresh air."

He knew he should've joined the work of cleaning up and rebuilding the village, but at the moment… He feared he'd suffocate if he'd stay for another second.

He felt Shikamaru's worried eyes on him as he went, and could almost swear he heard a muttered " Troublesome…"

* * *

In the meantime quite close to Konoha, a pair of onyx eyes moved swiftly as a tall figure entered a tiny cave with a grim expression. " Well?"

The arrival nodded stiffly. " It's true. Most of Konoha is almost nothing but ruins."

Sasuke felt a stab, which he quickly blamed on nostalgia. He nodded his thank you to Juugo, sinking into thoughtfulness.

" So…", Karin stated, effectively stopping his train of thought. There was a nearly anxious look on the girl's face – he could tell she didn't appreciate this waiting game. " What are we going to do? Now would be the perfect time to strike."

His eyes flashed. " We need to be well prepared, and it'll take time before the elders will be ready to defend themselves against us. There's no reason to rush anymore."

Karin nodded, not appearing fully pleased, then handed him a mug of something. " This should help", she explained at his mistrusting expression. " With your insomnia, and eyes." This she spoke quietly, knowing he didn't want to share his physical condition with the rest of the team.

He nodded, and after a long moment accepted the drink, taking it all down without tasting much. As soon as he was done he got up, starting to head towards the cave's exit. " I need some fresh air", he announced gruffly. " I'll be back in an hour."

-

Had Sasuke turned his head, he might've been alarmed by the look on Karin's face.

Suigetsu gave the girl an amused look. " You're really getting pathetic, you know?"

She swatted his head extremely roughly. " This isn't about _that_, dimwit. It's just…" She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should tell him this. " His drink… was spiked up."

Suigetsu's expression was immediately alarmed. " Spiked up with what, Karin?"

She didn't meet his gaze. " With a lot of alcohol." Her head finally moved when Suigetsu got up and started to head away. " Hey, where are you going?"

The boy seemed to shudder. " I don't know how many times you've done this to him already, but I _do_ know he won't be happy when he finds out. And I'm indenting to stay alive."

* * *

Naruto's thoughts were so jumbled as he walked that he didn't realize where he was headed until he found himself from a forest nearby Konoha's borderline. He frowned, not quite understanding his actions.

_So now I'm officially losing it._

Just then his ears twitched at the sound of steps, and despite all the missions he'd taken his heart jumped a little. This presence, this Chakra he could sense… There was something different and familiar to it.

" I should've known you'd come here", came a voice he knew so well he gasped, his eyes widening. " It's hard to get any peace from you."

Very slowly, afraid that this was just a dream of some sort, he turned around to meet a pair of painfully familiar obsidian orbs. " Sasuke…" Despite the fact that the last time they met the raven tried to kill him desperate hope filled his whole being.

What… was Sasuke doing here, this close to Konoha? Did this mean that his dreams were finally coming true? Was the Uchiha really…?

" I'm only here to finish things up." Sasuke's eyes shattered all hope there'd been in him, making his legs so weak he almost fell. " I still have scores to settle."

The weakness Naruto had felt before turned into such rage it almost startled him, and he balled his fists. " So it's still all about revenge, huh? That's still all you can think about."

Sasuke's eyes flashed. " I've told you to give up on me, Naruto – more times than I can count." The raven turned around, obviously about to slip from his reach once more. " You need to grow up already, you know?"

His eyes narrowed. " I _have_ grown up, Sasuke!" he all but snarled. " I've spent three long, fucking years growing up! It's you who doesn't know how to move on from that damn hatred."

He wasn't sure if he imagined seeing the raven's steps halt for a millisecond.

It took some moments before he found his voice again. " Sasuke, Kakashi… Kakashi's dead." He swallowed thickly, still finding those words hard to believe and even harder to produce. " He died, trying to protect Konoha."

Sasuke stopped, and he wished the raven had turned around so he could've seen the boy's face, seen if there was any hope at all left. It took what felt like ages before there was finally a response. " Why… are you telling me this?" The voice was annoyingly unreadable. The raven started to move once more, the boy's steps seeming to sway slightly. " You've wasted enough of my time."

Much faster than Sasuke could react he'd moved to the Uchiha and grabbed the boy's wrist, come so close that in some other situation it might've made him feel embarrassed. He wasn't about to let go when he was _this_ close.

There was a burning he recognized far too well as nearly erupting tears in his eyes when he spoke in a barely recognizable voice. " There's still a home for you, Sasuke – I've been trying to tell you that for a long time. There'll always be a home." He could tell his eyes flamed while Sasuke finally turned around and his blue orbs looked into the boy's, carefully imprinting the exact look in them, memorizing every little detail. " So stop running around in circles already."

In some other state of mind he might've recognized the haze covering Sasuke's eyes as that caused by alcohol, but at the moment he didn't even notice it. " Let go, Naruto."

Yet neither of them moved.

So much loneliness and frustration… All those tears…And this was where it all finally came down to.

Sasuke, of course, fought back when his hot, searing lips first attacked the raven. He gasped when he was shoved backwards roughly and met a pair of burning onyx eyes. " What the hell are you doing?" the Uchiha all but growled. He could easily see how the boy's chest moved in an uneven rhythm underneath his white shirt.

He grinned toothily, and in some other situation it might've startled him how it felt like some foreign force had taken over his body that was shivering under what he could only call lust. " What does it look like, teme?" Without hesitation and far too fast for it to be avoided he reached out and bit the Uchiha's neck, satisfied when he actually felt how hard the other fought against gasping. Sasuke was finally there, alive and well – that simple fact was enough to chase away absolutely all reason there was in him. He didn't know about the tears that spilled to his cheeks while he took a tight hold of the raven, giving another set of kisses that held a clear message. " Do you have any idea how hard it's been, bastard? Can you even imagine…?" His voice died down under something almost inhumanly strong.

That night it didn't matter that they should've been fighting, that they were in the middle of a forest with a starry sky as their only roof. It also didn't matter how long they'd been apart, that there was a ton of mess to be sorted. The force of alcohol and longing taking a hold of them was far too strong.

-

_Run_, was the order Sasuke's brain tried to message, but he was much too drowsy to actually listen. Flames of desire he'd smothered long ago burst right back for at least a moment when Naruto kissed his neck, biting and sucking on his way and emitting sounds of apparent delight. He didn't even realize he moaned while arching his neck and allowing the blond an easy entrance, nor did he notice just how lightly he allowed the other to take off his clothes with possessive nibbles and kisses. " Don't you dare disappear from me again", the blond all but growled into his ear, the warm breath tickling his skin.

He felt hot, almost unbearably so, and he had a feeling only Naruto would be able to do something about it. That's why he abandoned all his pride and gave in. " Yngh", was all he managed to produce in a moan.

-

Had the two been paying even the slightest bit of attention, they might've noticed the red glow lingering all over Naruto in a sign of the Kyuubi scheming something quite incredible…

-

It was almost fortunate that the next day – when he woke up from the forest floor with a headache he couldn't explain, sticky and still hot – Sasuke couldn't remembered how he, a mighty Uchiha, all but screamed with pleasure while he came and his nails dug into Naruto's sizzling skin.

-

Naruto wished he would've been more surprised than he was when waking up about an hour after Sasuke and discovering that he was alone. Right there and then he gave in to the urge that'd been bubbling since he'd woken up after his fight with Pein.

He gave a moan – this time that of pain – and broke into bitter, proud tears.

* * *

_**Six Weeks Later.**_

* * *

It was around a month from his… ridiculous encounter, as he called it, with Naruto when Sasuke first started to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

At first came nausea – such that lasted pretty much all day and caused him to heave far more than there should've been in his stomach. Then, quite soon after, followed such stomach cramps he'd never experienced before, which felt like knifes plunged through his abdomen when reaching their peak.

He, of course, had no intention to share those so called symptoms with his teammates – the last thing he needed was the fuss and questions that'd follow. But in the end that decision was made for him.

For when he opened his eyes that day, he frowned when finding Karin hovering above him with a somewhat solemn expression. " What the hell are you doing?" he all but bit out, not liking the fact that the girl was so close.

She shivered a little with surprise, then looked at him with the strangest mixture of relief and worry. " You passed out during training, Sasuke-kun."

His frown from before deepened while he tried to gather the pieces.

Yes, he'd been training with Suigetsu when his legs had been struck weak. After that…

He grit his teeth while pushing himself into a sitting position, not liking the look Karin gave him. " I skipped breakfast this morning. That's all, alright?"

He became truly unnerved when he saw how Karin gulped. " I… don't think so, Sasuke-kun." She hesitated, clearly not knowing how to set her words. " Look, when I was examining you I… felt a Chakra around your stomach area."

He actually shivered a little, although he didn't let it show. " Chakra?" That… couldn't possibly mean what it sounded like.

Karin, however, nodded. " Yeah. I checked it five times, but got the same results each time."

His head spun, and his chest became filled with flames. " Karin, I don't know what the hell you're talking about, because it's pretty clear that I can't be pregnant."

" Is it?" Karin's question caught him so off guard that he didn't even remember to retort. " Orochimaru loved human experiments, remember? Did he ever…?" She left the rest hanging.

At first he shook his head, but then… He didn't look at the girl while speaking. " There… was an operation, five months after I came to his lair." He swallowed down a nearly erupting wave of nausea, barely believing his own words and conclusions, not wanting to face those memories. " After that I could barely walk or sit upright for months. And there's been bleeding…" He shivered again, pausing to listen to his own words.

_No._ There was no way in hell he could be… This was _insane_.

" Sasuke-kun." It wasn't until he heard Karin's voice did he realize he'd been quiet for a long time. " What are you going to do about this?"

His eyes narrowed and hardened, turned steely. " Even if there'd be… a parasite living inside me I'd have no obligations towards it, I'm not about to let it slow us down." This… _thing_ inside him – if there even was such, which he greatly doubted – was nothing but an extremely stupid mistake. He wouldn't let it shatter the road he'd chosen.

His eyes narrowed even further while he clutched to the blanket covering his stomach.

Karin nodded, he could tell even without looking. " I think this requires some further tests, but… If _it_ is there, and you want to get rid of it, I know a way." Quite slowly the girl got up, starting to make her way out of the room. " Now get some rest, will you? You'll need all your strength soon."

He gave no response whatsoever.

His head spun as she left the room, and he had to close his eyes. He didn't even realize he was trembling violently while he clenched both his fists and grit his teeth.

This was all too much, too _absurd_. His brain refused to accept all this.

He was grateful there was a bowl next to him when he threw up loudly some minutes later.

* * *

**TBC, OR NOT?**

* * *

A/N: Soooo… (gulps) What's your judgement – to axe, or to let out on the loose? I hope this wasn't too boring of a first chappy (if this can even be called such), btw. (bites lower lip)

(Btw, who expected the teme to be happy about the pregnancy? Lift your hands.) (glances around, then gets an expression of faked shock) (Nani - none?!)

Awkay, busy beaver's not gonna rest just yet, so I'm gonna get running. (grins)

**PLEASE**, do leave a review so I shall know what to do with this one! (gives absolutely enormous puppy dog eyes)

So long, at least for now, folks – and thanks for reading this one!

Peace out!


	2. The Return Of The Uchiha Clan

A/N: Heeeh, I'm back again – having gone through some major 'blank page syndrome', but nonetheless. (grins radiantly and claps hands together with excitement)

BUT, first things first… My dear goodness! (gawks, then blushes and faints from shock) You really, REALLY want this to continue, don't you?! (gasps) So… many FANTASTIC reviews! (GLOMPS, and showers you guys with TONS of treats) You are AMAZING – thank you, from the bottom of my heart! (sniffs) **Responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy, dattebayo.

Awkay, because I think the best 'thank you' would be an update, here we go. (grins slightly nervously) I'm practically terrified whether this is worthy of all those unbelievable reviews, so I really, REALLY hope you'll enjoy the ride. (gulps)

WARNING: This may be confusing to those who haven't read the latest manga chapters.

* * *

**PHASE TWO: The Return Of The Uchiha Clan**

* * *

**_Two Days Later._**

* * *

Sasuke's eyes flashed while he stared at the tiny bottle held carelessly in his deceitfully calm hand. The purplish liquid inside sparkled alluringly in the dim lightning of his so called room.

Just one sip, Karin had told him while giving the potion. Just a few drops, and his _problem_ would be taken care of forever. No more sickness, no more weakness, no more that _parasite_. Life would go back to normal, and he'd be able to focus on what was important.

Yet his hand refused to budge, no matter how hard he tried to reason with himself. Suddenly the boy who'd betrayed his village and killed his own brother wasn't able to do the simplest thing that would've erased something that'd inevitably become a _huge_ problem.

He didn't want this _thing_, that much was clear to him. So what the hell was wrong with him?

He took a deep breath, realizing that far too much time had passed already. The time of making the decision was at hand – that fact was confirmed by a yet another wave of nausea.

His eyes flashed once more as he finally made up his mind.

His hand moved.

-

Karin had never been one to posses a lot of patience. That's why she was basically seething in her own skin while standing outside the chamber of a cave. At the moment she was driving herself insane while waiting for Sasuke's judgement.

In the end she knocked on stonewall, deciding that she'd done enough waiting. " Hey, Sasuke-kun, are you okay in there?" When there was no response she made up her mind. " I'm coming in, okay?"

What she found when entering made her blink thrice. Sasuke was finishing up preparing himself, his expression suggesting that nothing in particular was going on.

She figured that only Sasuke Uchiha could manage to maintain his nonchalant posture even when he was a pregnant teenage boy.

Apparently sensing her stare, he turned his gaze to her, his eyes just as hard as ever. " I have a bad feeling about this", he announced in a slightly harsh tone. " You three, stay in the background until I give you a sign to move forth."  
She frowned, not comfortable with sending him there – in the middle of all those ninjas that now consider him an enemy – all alone. " But…"

Sasuke, however, was already moving, his posture stating that the matter was closed. " Make sure you're all prepared." He didn't spare her a glance while approaching the exit, his mind obviously drifting a million miles away. " You'll know when the time comes."

She nodded, realizing that there wasn't much more she could do. Just before he disappeared she found the breath for a few more words. " Just… be careful, okay?"

She wasn't sure if Sasuke stopped for a millisecond before disappearing, or if it was just her imagination. But somehow she had a very dark feeling in the pit of her stomach when he left.

She never even remembered to ask if he'd taken her potion.

-

Had she been a little more observant, she might've noticed that as he went, Sasuke slipped the tiny bottle into the covers of his clothing. The liquid inside hadn't been touched.

* * *

Ever since his… encounter with Sasuke Naruto had been feeling restless, as though he hadn't felt quite comfortable inside his own skin. That wasn't much of a surprise. He'd just done something huge he hadn't even thought he wanted, and the one person he would've needed to talk to was far out of his reach. But fortunately he had ears that were willing to listen – or at last so he very much liked to think.

He sighed when sitting on a windowsill, his gaze observing the still rebuilding village below. " I tried to look for him today, you know? I walked five hours straight, going through the caves around the village, but there wasn't a trace of him." He sighed again and stretched his arms, daring to lean backwards a little. " I just… I hope he hasn't forgotten, that _it_ meant at least something to him, too." He chuckled all of a sudden. " You know what's pathetic? You're the only one I've told about this. I just… I don't think the others would really get it. But you've always been the best listener – you don't judge." _You wouldn't even be able to anymore_, he added bitterly.

Turning his gaze slowly, unwillingly, he felt a sharp twinge when finding that Iruka still looked exactly like he had for weeks already. A expression that looked sad to him, half lidded glazed eyes, startlingly pale skin…

It'd been a jutsu of some sort, they'd told him. Even a ninja of Iruka's skill level wouldn't have been able to escape from the affect. They'd also quickly explained that it was highly unlikely Iruka would ever really wake up again. Yet Naruto wouldn't give up – couldn't. So many people had been lost already. He needed the little there was left of his faith.

He shivered a little when the room's door opened, and tried his hardest to grin when seeing Sakura entering. It wasn't all that easy to look at her nowadays – signs of weariness, sadness and sleepless nights indicated exactly how much she was forced to deal with every day. " Hey, Naruto. I figured you'd be here." Seeing that he was all but staring at her face she added in a tone that'd been present far too much lately. " I… just visited Shizune's grave. And I met someone." She seemed to swallow thickly. " I… I never knew she was pregnant. I didn't even know she had a lover."

His eyes widened with utter stun for a moment, until he fell back into the present when noticing that Sakura was starting to examine Iruka. " Well?" He wished he could've remained a little less hopeful, so the fall wouldn't have been as hard. " Any change?"

For a moment the pinkette was utterly silent, then shook her head and sighed when looking at him. " I… I'm so sorry." She seemed to bite her lip. " I really wish I had good news for once."

He tried to grin, but failed miserably. " It's okay. It's not your fault, you know?" He then got up, starting to head towards the door. The hospital was getting a little bit too much for him, and for some reason he had a feeling that there was another place where he needed to be…

" Do you want to come over to see Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked, although she already knew what the answer would be – two disappointments of that magnitude in a day was too much even for him. " I'm going to her room next."

He merely waved a hand, saying the same thing he offered every day. " Maybe tomorrow. See you later, Sakura-chan."

-

Sakura sighed heavily while watching him go. " You should talk to us who can listen, too, Naruto."

-

As soon as Naruto stepped out of the hospital he leaned heavily against the building's wall, gritting his teeth.

Quite slowly he came to realize that he'd never missed Sasuke as badly as he did then, no matter how disappointed, confused and even angry he was.

Just then his eyes spotted a flash in the nearby forest – almost… like sunlight hitting a weapon, or something similar. And he knew he needed to move.

He had no idea what the power leading him was, but he found himself storming towards the forest line.

* * *

The Hokage's office – which he'd quickly taken over after Tsunade's… injury – was already dark while Danzou moved around in restless circles like a caged wild beast, his eyes flashing due to moonlight and something much darker that welled from deep within him.

After what felt like hours the air nearby suddenly wavered, and as he watched a familiar figured started to materialize. He frowned with displeasure. " You're late."

Despite the mask he was fairly sure that Uchiha Madara's eyes flashed. " As you probably understand, we've been a little… busy as of lately. But now, there's something interesting I think you should know."

His eyebrow rose with curiosity. " Yes?"

Madara folded his arms and leaned against a wall. " You remember Sasuke, don't you? Zetsu's been keeping an eye on him. He's on his way here to… pay you and the elders a little visit."

He felt coldness travel all the way through him, and if he'd had any less control over himself his eyes would've without a doubt widened. " What?" Soon enough, however, shock became overpowered by sheer, blinding rage. _How dare that arrogant traitor think he can just march here?_ " Are you absolutely sure?"

" Yes. And he knows _everything_ – including the part you played in the story of his clan." Madara seemed to be looking at him quite intently, and he wondered with unease what the man was looking for. " Remember, one of the most shameful parts of Konoha's history?"

His eyes narrowed with utter distaste while he turned them towards the window. Suddenly the shadows outside seemed much darker than before. " What does he want from me?" Although he was fairly sure he knew already.

" He's been looking for revenge for so long – he isn't going to give up until he has the three of you dead. He wants you to remember that the Uchiha clan hasn't disappeared yet – that there's someone who still knows." There were steps in the hallway, and Madara moved. " That sounds like my cue to leave. I've done my part – what happens next is up to you." And with no further ado the man was gone.

His eyes narrowed even further, turned darker than the room around him.

Because of Itachi's softness during the massacre that cursed clan was still alive – hanging by a thread, but nonetheless there like an irritating nightmare of some sort. But he was determined to make sure it wouldn't stay that way for long.

" Takato!" he snarled, knowing that the boy would be in the hallway.

In a moment a rather startled looking young man with shortcut hey colored hair and pale eyes peered in. " Yes, Danzou-sama?"

His eyes flashed. " Gather a team of at least ten members, and prepare them for extremely violent resistance", he ordered in a half growl, not looking at the boy anymore. " Tell them that a traitor is coming home, and we're about to catch him alive for a little spectacle…"

* * *

Naruto's heart hammered while he entered the woods by Konoha's borderline, and he had to use absolutely all his self control to be able to actually stop instead of storming on.

At first he heard nothing but the silent, rather comforting sounds of the woods. But then…

His eyes narrowed, and a much too familiar burning woke up underneath his skin. " I know you're there, teme", he announced in a rather tense tone, his eyes searching around. " Come out – I won't let you slip away this time."

" You shouldn't try to stop me, Naruto." Sasuke took a couple of seconds before finally stepping into view, Sharingan activated. This time there was no haze covering the Uchiha's eyes, no chance for moments of weakness. " I won't leave before I've killed them, and if I have to hurt you in the way I will do it."

A flash of hurt crossed him. Had _that_ night really meant nothing to Sasuke? He then frowned, utterly confused. " Kill who?" His heart started to beat too fast all of a sudden – or perhaps it'd been moving that way for a while already. No… No way he was going to let this happen again! His eyes narrowed hazardously, defying Sasuke's legendary bloodline limit without fear. " Whatever the hell this is about, I'm _not_ going to let you put yourself through this shit again!"

Sasuke's chest moved somewhat erratically while the raven grit his teeth. " One night's mistake doesn't give you the permission to destroy everything I've been working for! You will not stand in the way of my revenge!"

His eyes felt oddly hot while they narrowed even further. He could already tell his body was changing. " And I'm not going to lose you because of this shit anymore, bastard!"

And with that they stormed towards each other – his Sage Mode and Sasuke's Sharingan clashing together – and spun around each other in a dizzying speed. Then – so suddenly that it made him gasp – he had the Uchiha pinned against a tree.

Sasuke's eyes flamed with rage and disbelief. " Let me go."

He shook his head, his throat feeling oddly tight.

-

They had themselves in a standstill, Sasuke realized – obviously he wasn't the only one who'd been training during the years passed. He felt trapped, and there was almost nothing he hated more. And to make matters even worse there was something between bubbling and squirming inside his still flat stomach.

It seemed _the thing_ was a very, very sadistic little creature.

Naruto, apparently, had grown more observant during the past three years, for the blond noticed his discomfort. A frown appeared. " Sasuke?"

Instead of responding he allowed his eyes to narrow again, and tried to struggle against the other's still firm hold. " Why?!" he all but spat out, setting free all the frustration and confusion he'd been feeling since finding out what was going on inside him. " Why the hell do you do this?"

The response came fast. " Because… Because _that _night wasn't meaningless to me, although it scared me how far things went!" Naruto nearly roared at his face in a slightly shuddering tone. He hoped dearly it wasn't tears he heard in the boy's voice. " Because I…!"

Perhaps it was the best he didn't hear the rest, because in his current mental disarray it couldn't have been predicted how he would've reacted. For just then came a voice he would've _not_ wanted to hear. " I heard you'd be here, but up until now I couldn't really believe you would've had the nerve to show up." Danzou's expression radiated something between revulsion and rage while the man stepped into view with five ninjas. " Konoha's been through enough destruction already. You will not set a foot there."

He might've been stunned if he'd realized he brought a hand to shield his stomach while his eyes narrowed with rage.

To his surprise Naruto took a protective step closer, eyes flaming. " Leave him alone!"

He, however, wasn't about to let someone else stand his ground. All he could see was the man – his target, the reason to so much of his pain. And he felt fully ready to attack. " I… have no reason to demolish that pathetic village", he announced through tightly grit teeth. " The only ones I want to destroy are you, and the elders." He took a glance towards the men around the older, and came to a conclusion that they were those of the highest rank. He snorted. " But I have a feeling you knew that already." Absentmindedly he became aware of at least five more ninjas hiding in the trees nearby. There also seemed to be strong, chilling Chakra not too far away in the forest.

The five bodyguards stiffened, whereas Danzou lifted his chin. " I see." The man glanced over his shoulder, careful not to let him out of his sight. " Hold back his… friend, will you? I want to have a little chat with him."

As the five guards did as ordered – struggled to make a hissing Naruto stay where he was – he felt a huge wave of revulsion when Danzou walked closer, obviously making sure no one else would hear this conversation.

His eyes narrowed yet again. " I will make sure everyone in Konoha knows exactly what you're doing", he snarled through gritted teeth. " And after that, I will come after you and chase you until you scream and beg for mercy. Do you understand? I will rip you to pieces."

Danzou didn't appear all that affected. " Even if you would tell everyone… Do you honestly think they'd believe you? Do you really believe there are any ears left listening?" The man gave him a gaze that made him want to result to violence. " You are nothing more than a low traitor – your words and life weight nothing here."

He took several deep, shuddering breaths, the rage and nausea inside nearly boiling over. He prepared himself for gathering Chakra. " And you think you're going to arrest me, just like this?"

Danzou shrugged. " You have no idea how many pairs of eyes are watching you right now. But yes, you might be able to get away – this time. However, even if you'd escape Konoha would be on your tails, and I can assure you, we wouldn't stop until there'd be nothing left of you and your comrades." The man's eyes became such that repulsed him even more than _the parasite's_ antics. " Let us arrest you now, and they'll live, they'll be safe – as will Naruto."

For some reason his eyes flashed, gaining a life of their own. " Since when did he become a part of this?"

As his first response, he heard Naruto's shouts when Danzou kept his silence. " … the hell are you talking about? Let him go! Don't you dare…!"

After making sure those words had worked their charm, Danzou spoke. " He's been a part of this from the very beginning – you're good at pulling people down with you. And we both know he'd do something very stupid if you'd try to escape again – and this time Tsunade wouldn't be there to protect him from the consequences."

His eyes flashed dangerously while they met the older man's. " What makes you think I'd care?"

The man glanced towards his hands. They weren't glowing blue, carried no weapons. " You're not as good of a actor as you think you are."

He growled, revealing a threatening row of teeth. " You… will pay for this."

Danzou shrugged. " We all pay for our sins, don't we? Even you."

Just then his eyes widened a fraction when he felt something extremely sharp in his neck. It took only seconds before he became aware of a searing sensation, and realized exactly what was happening. A wave of rage directed towards himself appeared.

So he'd been an idiot enough to let those bastards shoot a tranquilliser dart of some sort at him.

There were two things he managed to be aware of before everything turned black.

The Chakra he'd sensed not too far away disappeared.

And Naruto screamed, all but roared. " SASUKE!"

What Danzou couldn't possibly know as he fell under the sedative, was that he already had a backup plan. After all, Uchihas never moved without such.

-

Despite all the feelings inside him Danzou's expression barely changed while he watched two of his men grab a hold of Sasuke while the rest – including the five who'd been hiding – fought to hold back Naruto. " Take him away", he ordered. " Make sure he gets a nice, cold cell, will you?"

His eyes were narrowed while he observed Sasuke being dragged away. His mind was lingering in Itachi's words he'd heard years ago.

/ _" If you do anything to Sasuke, I'll tell everything there is to know about the village to every hostile nation in the world."_ /

His eyes flashed.

He'd had enough of the Uchiha clan and the problems it brought along. And whatever it'd take he'd get rid of every single one of its members.

" What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Funny – he'd forgotten about Naruto's presence. Glancing to side venomously he found a pair of smouldering blue eyes. " You can't do this to him! I won't let you!"

He snorted with genuine amusement. " And you honestly think you can do something to stop me, brat? You're very welcome to join him, though." Not bothering with the teen any further he started to walk away. " Tsunade's time is over. Traitors will no longer be tolerated."

-

Sasuke might've been surprised by how right he'd been about someone observing the scene playing out.

Madara's eyes flashed behind his mask while they strayed to the Uchiha's stomach, which was still flat. Disbelief and something close to curiosity filled him.

" Now what's up?" Kisame grunted, sounding mildly annoyed with all the waiting the man had been forced to do. " Can we attack?"

He shook his head, fighting irritation. " You saw what they did to Pein when he got brash. We don't want to make the same mistake, do we?"

While watching he mused that he may have made his first error of judgement when betraying Sasuke already.

-

What everyone in the woods missed due to the hassle was a lone observer, hiding carefully as far as it was possible with maintaining a good view on what was happening.

Pale coloured eyes flashed at the sight they encountered, and a growl escaped. " Damn it…"

There, right before Suigetsu's eyes, Sasuke got dragged away towards the village.

Idiotic and pointless as he knew brash actions to be, he might've tried to storm forth if it wasn't for Sasuke's words from the night before resounding in his ears.

* * *

/ _For one reason or another they'd spent the night before together, although he'd had a feeling that Sasuke would've rather wanted to be alone. In the end their talking had strayed to this day, and what was inevitably ahead._

_" I need you to stay back", the raven had told him in a voice that clearly said 'no objections'._

_He'd frowned, not liking that idea the slightest. " What if you get caught?"_

_He was almost sure he'd seen Sharingan flash for just a moment. " Sometimes the best way to destroy something is from the inside, no?"_ /

* * *

He sighed heavily, fighting his hardest against the overpowering desire to move.

_Well_, he mused somewhat darkly. _You're _in_ now. And I really hope you know what you're doing._

With that he started to prepare himself for a takeoff – and for having to tell Karin about this.

He didn't notice the raven that screamed loudly while leaving the tree simultaneously.

* * *

Naruto had no idea what to think while he kept pacing all over the space outside Sasuke's cell, barely even noticing the guard who was looking at him with stern eyes. He was seething, felt restless, confused and too big for his own skin.

Sasuke… He was finally back, and he… he wasn't even allowed to see the Uchiha! After all the long years of waiting he wasn't able to get as much as one glance.

They would've needed to _talk_, especially after _that_ night's events, to finally deal with all the mess between them. How the hell were they supposed to do that now?

He jumped a little when hearing running steps, but quickly relaxed once seeing who the arrival was. " Sakura-chan."

She panted, quite clearly out of breath, and looked at him with demanding eyes. " Is… Is it true?" she all but wheezed.

He nodded somewhat stiffly, not knowing what to think about the fire in her eyes. " Yeah", he breathed out oddly softly, feeling tired for some reason. " Sasuke… Sasuke's finally back." He glanced towards the cell's door with heated eyes. " And those bastards let no one in, thanks to Danzou's orders."

Sakura's eyes flashed. " We'll see about that", she growled under her breath, starting to storm forth.

Seeing that his chance had arrived, he took out a tiny note he'd written hurriedly only moments ago and handed it to her. " Look… If you get in, would you… Would you give him this?" If this was his only chance of making contact of any sort with Sasuke, he'd do it.

Sakura gave him a somewhat weird look – as though wondering – but in the end nodded. " Sure." She opened her mouth, apparently about to say something, but in the end changed her mind and kept going instead.

While watching her distance he swallowed thickly and balled his fists, his throat and mouth abnormally dry.

All he could do now was wait, and that was something he was horrible at.

-

Sakura's eyes smouldered while she met a young, somewhat terrified looking guard, who was obviously only on duty because no one else had been at hand.

This would be even easier than she'd thought.

" You", she all but snarled, pushing absolutely all her authority into her tone. Once meeting a pair of startled blue eyes she went on. " I'm here to see the Uchiha."

The young man – a boy – swallowed hard. " I… I'm sorry, but Danzou-sama said no visitors."

Her eyes flashed hazardously. " I'm a medic, and I have every right to make sure the prisoner is in full health – I'm sure Danzou's very much aware of that as well. So unless you want to get into a lot of trouble, let me in _now_."

The flash of terror she met stated that she'd won.

* * *

Sasuke's head spun while he lay on the bed of his cell, everything inside him seething.

It wasn't enough that he was forced to deal with _the thing_ inside him. Now he was stuck here, in a tiny stinking cell, locked up like some lousy animal. He was no fool – Danzou seemed to be in charge of the village, and he knew exactly what the man was planning for him. To top the fun he could feel that Naruto was close by, and having to deal with the blond was the last thing he needed at the moment. Even less would've been enough to make him claustrophobic.

He really wished he could've made his move already, but the time wasn't right. All he could do was wait, and that was something he was horrible at.

His eyes would've turned red if it wasn't for all the Chakra restraints entrapping him, and he turned his gaze rapidly as the cell's door opened. He couldn't help feeling mild surprise when discovering that it was Sakura stood by the doorway.

" Hey." She took some hesitant steps, finally stood so nearby that it made him feel uncomfortable. It was clear she could barely believe her eyes. " I… came to make a little checkup on you."

His eyes flashed rather hazardously. " Is this necessary?" For if she'd as much as touch him his secret would be out. She was a medic, after all. And sharing his secret wasn't what he needed to do at the moment. " I don't need a checkup." He didn't mean to sound as cold as he did, really, but he refused to admit he would've cared all that much.

Sakura's eyes flashed when she looked at him. " Stop that, Sasuke", she all but growled in a low tone he didn't recognize. Absentmindedly he noticed the absence of 'kun'. Apparently quite a bit had changed over time – perhaps she'd finally grown up. She sighed deeply and focused on gathering Chakra. " Look… It's good to have you back. We've been looking for you for a long time. Naruto's been worried sick."

A frown appeared to his features. " Why?"

Sakura looked at him with mild disbelief at first, then gave him a somewhat sad smile. " Because that's what friends do, Sasuke."

He looked away, feeling uncomfortable with the situation. For some reason Sakura's words troubled him although he wouldn't have liked to admit it. " Hn."

There was a tiny moment of silence until Sakura spoke once more. " Now lay down, okay? This won't hurt, I promise."  
In some other situation he might've snorted out loud. As if pain had been what he was worrying about…

At first it looked like she wouldn't notice anything out of ordinary after all, but then – so out of the blue that he stiffened completely – she gasped loudly. " What the…?!" His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief when he finally braced himself to meet them. " This… This Chakra…" _How the hell is this possible?!_, her eyes screamed so loudly that he could hear it.

His eyes narrowed, and once again his hand flew to his stomach without him noticing it, pushing Sakura's still glowing hand away roughly. He was definitely _not_ going to explain this all to her – he wasn't in the mood for getting a headache. " You won't tell _anyone_ about this, Sakura", he all but snarled out.

She blinked several times, and her expression made him wonder if she'd pass out or start screaming. In the end, however, she seemed to manage to gather herself, at least a little bit. " Who… Who's the…?" Apparently she wasn't entirely sure what to call the other party in this occasion.

He looked away once more, gritting his teeth.

" He'd deserve to know, Sasuke. I… I mean… What if Danzou decides to…?" She then trailed off, this all most likely going way over her head.

Just then the cell's door opened, and a rather huge sized guard was stood in the doorway, accompanied by an all but trembling smaller one. The arrival's eyes smouldered. " No visitors, girl. Get out."

Sakura glared at the man for a moment. Her moves were somewhat unsteady when she started to move. " It… looks like everything's okay, so…" Her words got tangled and faded away. She'd almost left the cell – and bumped into the men waiting – until she turned back around, walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He was too stunned by the sudden action to fight back before she'd already let go, slipping something into his hand in the process – a piece of paper. " Naruto told me to give you this", she whispered into his ear. " Maybe it'll change your mind."

He frowned. In all honesty he wasn't sure how smart of a move it was to accept anything from Naruto – for some reason the blond seemed to have a nasty habit of messing his head.

By the time his thoughts were clear Sakura had already almost walked out. " Just… Welcome back, Sasuke. I'll come and see you again later." With that the door was closed between them.

-

Naruto could barely contain his anxiety when Sakura finally emerged from the cell. His blue eyes flashed with something scarily close to hope. " Well?"

As Sakura groaned and rubbed her temple, he couldn't keep himself from thinking that she looked awfully lot like Tsunade. " I could really, really use some sake right now."

-

For a couple of moments Sasuke sat absolutely still, all but glaring at the piece of paper in his hand and wondering what he should've done. Not sure if he was making a huge mistake, he started to read.

' _They won't let me in to see you – I guess they're worried about me trying to break you free. But I want you to know that I'm happy to have you back. And whatever it takes I'll get you out of that hellhole._

_I'm not giving up._'

He groaned loudly, leaning back against the cold stonewall behind him, and closed his eyes. Without noticing it he tightened his fist around the note instead of just throwing the piece of paper away.

And here he'd thought things couldn't get any more frustrating and confusing…

Just then there was uncomfortable pulsating in his stomach. He gave something between a snort and a groan.

At least the parasite had his style of a sense of humor.

It took his all not to throw up under the intense wave of nausea that appeared.

* * *

TBC???

* * *

A/N: (To those wondering Sasuke's decision of barging into Konoha – because I know there'll be those of you. That was the best possible time to attack, with Konoha still recovering from Pein's destruction. Plus, it was the best to move before the baby would become a problem – after all, it looks like he's more or less decided to keep it although he doesn't like it. AND, it also seems he has a plan of some sort…) (quirks an eyebrow)

But now, Sasuke's back in Konoha. We'll see where that leads… (gulps)

So… What's your judgement? Is this still something you'd like to keep reading forth? As from now time would move much faster – after all, I'm determined to make this only a six shot – but if you wish to read more I'd do my best not to miss anything important, dattebayo. (grins somewhat nervously) Axe or loose bridles? It's your call. (nod, nod)

Awkay, because it's AGAIN sinfully late and my eyes are barely open right now I'm tuning out. **PLEASE**, do leave a review before following – it's your only chance to speak out your minds! (glances with somewhat pleading puppy dog eyes)

Adios for now, folks!

Peace out!

* * *

**lalala**: (grins) Ay, ay, sir! (rushes over to type)

Awww, I'm so glad to hear you've enjoyed my works! (beams and hugs)

Colossal thank yous for the review! I really hope you'll enjoy the next chappy as well.

-

**hannah banana**: Awww, how it warms my heart to hear you'd like to see this story continuing!

(grins somewhat evilly) Heh, I can't wait to see Naruto and Sakura's reactions, either. They're bound to be priceless!

Mega-sized thank yous for the review! I hope you'll be staying tuned.


	3. The Changing Bonds

A/N: And I'm baaaaaaack! (grins) I was supposed to update days ago, but the site decided to go down so I wasn't able to before this. AND, to top that, I'm currently fighting against the absolutely worst stomach flue I've ever had – I'm fairly sure I threw up over twenty times yesterday and once today, I haven't been able to keep anything solid down since the day before yesterday, and I had a pretty high fever yesterday. So not cool. (groans) But oh well, at least I seem to be getting better now. (wipes forehead)

Heh, before stopping this blabbering and letting you get to the actual chappy… MAN, geez – thank you SO MUCH for al those absolutely fabulous reviews! (HUGGLES) You can't even imagine how happy they made me, and how happy you guys have made me. So thank you!

Oh yes, and **IMPORTANT NOTICE**. To avoid having to rush things, I'm thinking of making this an eight shot, after all. How does that sound like to ya guys?

Awkay, because I bet you'll attack me soon if I don't cut this mambo jambo, let's rock! XD I REALLY hope you'll enjoy this one!

* * *

**PHASE THREE: The Changing Bonds**

* * *

**_One Month Later._**

* * *

The passed month had been all but excruciating for Sasuke. He was still locked into a cell and a frustrating amount of Chakra restraints, and the parasite was giving him an extremely hard time. Not another day passed without him considering taking Karin's potion, but in the end something always appeared to make him change his mind. What kept his faint faith in things working out up was the knowledge that with each and every day he could feel his goal inch closer. Every day the opposition against Danzou grew – it was easy to sense such in the prison. Soon enough all he'd need to get rid of the man, as well as the elders, was a snap of fingers.

That day, however, he had something else on his mind.

He'd never liked being poked. That's why it took just about his all not to swat Sakura's glowing hand away while it was placed to his for the time being flat stomach. According to her this was important to make sure both he and the baby were alright, but he would've rather not even thought about _the thing_.

It seemed to take ages before she finally pulled her hand away. " Well, it looks like everything's perfectly normal – or, well, as normal as possible in this situation." She then looked at him. " How have you been feeling?"

For a moment he thought about retorting. _I'm pregnant, locked up into a stinking cell and pissed off. And to top that I still throw up about twenty times a day. So what do you think?_ " Hn. Fine." Apparently the parasite chose to make back flips just then, and he gagged dryly, unable to restrain himself.

Sakura gave him a look of sympathy. " Do you still have morning sickness and dizziness?"

He looked away, feeling infuriated and embarrassed. " Hmph."

" The nausea should fade away quite soon, so don't worry. You should try to make sure you won't lose any more weight than you have already, though – it's not good for you or the baby."

He grit his teeth while nodding sharply. He really wished Sakura would stop calling _the thing_ 'a baby' – it was hardly such to him.

" So…" Ah, so the pinkette wasn't through with him yet. " Have you _talked_ to Naruto yet?"

It took a lot of him to disguise his surprise. " Why should I?"

She scoffed and sighed. " Sasuke, I know he's the father – there's been something odd going on between you two since you came back, and you always tense up when I mention his name." She looked straight to his eyes. " I'm right, aren't I?"

After a moment's pause he snorted. " What makes you think I wouldn't have… done _that_ with someone else?"

She shrugged. " You probably have. But the timing also matches – Naruto's been acting strangely since a particular night." She then sighed once more, starting to appear aggravated. " Look, you need to talk to him – for both your sakes. Be honest for once. You owe that much to him, and to the bond you have."

He rolled his eyes. " A bond? Why should that matter a thing to me anymore?"

Gosh, he'd never seen such a fire that appeared to Sakura's eyes just then. " Most of the time during these past three years you've been the only thing keeping Naruto sane. You've been his ray of hope, his ambition. His _everything_. So how can you go and say the bond between you two is meaningless?" she all but snarled, visibly dangerously close to hitting him. " You're not the only one with problems and a rough past, Sasuke. And you're sure as hell not the only one uncomfortable with this. You need to grow up to notice that."

His eyes narrowed – against himself, her or even Naruto was impossible to tell. " I never asked him to care", he growled, balling his fists. " It's not my fault that he's enough of a idiot to hang on to something that's never been worth it to begin with."

The look Sakura gave him was a mixture of sadness and near shock – obviously she hadn't been expecting such an answer. In the end she sighed heavily – exhaustedly – and stood up. " If that's the case, then tell him so, honestly and face to face. Don't let him live in false hopes." He wondered if she'd been meaning to say something more when she brushed his shoulder ever so slightly while going. " I'll come and see you again soon. Take care of yourself in the meantime, okay?"

He barely heard, didn't manage to react, because his thoughts were entirely elsewhere.

As soon as she'd left he narrowed his eyes and growled.

Sakura had definitely _not_ helped with the headache he was having.

-

Outside the cell Sakura sighed heavily.

Perhaps she'd been harsh on Sasuke, but he'd never been one to listen to soft reasoning.

At the moment she could only hope he'd listen. After all, there were three people at stake now.

* * *

Danzou was a man very familiar with his many mistakes. No, he'd never been one to regret – in his opinion his rather huge missteps were the result of a necessity, dirty work someone had been forced to do for the sake of Konoha. He was also a man of ambition, someone who enjoyed the many pleasantries of power very much. That's why he was willing to do quite a bit for his new position as a leader.

And so, when he heard that Tsunade's Chakra patterns were changing he decided to pay her a little visit.

" We've never liked each other all that much, have we?" His voice was cool and monotonic, as though he hadn't been present in the situation at hand. His gaze strayed to her still closed eyes. " But I think we both agree on one thing. Right now – especially after all the pain and destruction – what should be the most important is Konoha's best interest. And we both know you're not that thing." He lifted his hand slowly, placing it to the woman's chest. " All the obstacles standing in the way of Konoha's recovery must be removed, no?"

His hand had almost started to glow until he was forced to pull back when Sakura entered the room. The pinkette frowned with apparent suspicion. " What are you doing?"

His expression turned steely while he lifted his chin and folded his arms. " Did you have something important, or are you disturbing me for no reason?"  
Sakura's flaming eyes looked so much like Tsunade's that he felt uncomfortable. " The meeting is about to start. And I'm going to be there, because I have a suggestion."

-

About five seconds after they'd left something that hadn't happened in a long time took place.

For just a couple of moments Tsunade's pale fingers twitched ever so slightly.

* * *

Sakura had always been someone with passion, and that was something she hadn't allowed to change while she grew up. And she needed all her vigour when stood before the council, which was looking down at her like she'd been a lowly peasant of some sort.

" Now, tell me…", Danzou spoke in a lazy tone, stretching every word. " Why should we listen to some… teenager, Tsunade's student or not?"

Her eyes narrowed a little when she noticed that he added no honorific to the woman's name. " Because someone needs to speak in Tsunade-sama's behalf – I know she wouldn't want you to lock Sasuke up forever just because you can't make the final decision. I also once spent a lot of time with Sasuke. I know him pretty well."

" He's not that same boy anymore, Sakura. You do understand that, right?" The one speaking was a slightly elderly woman, who had white stripes amongst her jet-black hair. Ice blue eyes shone with mistrust and reluctance. " You need to remember that he betrayed his own village, even joined those who posed a threat on Konoha. His powers have also escalated tremendously during the years passed. So how can you guarantee that he won't cause problems?"

The smug look she could just spot on Danzou's face made her feel sick to her stomach. But she wasn't through yet – she'd expected this much resistance. " I know and understand why you're so reluctant to let him go, and that's why I have a suggestion." Her green eyes sparkled when sunlight hit them, she could tell. " Place him into a house arrest with someone who's equal in power."

Danzou opened his mouth with a heated expression, but the woman who'd spoken earlier beat him to voicing her thoughts. " Tsunade-sama's student or not, you're asking a lot of us, Sakura. Setting all but free a S-Ranked criminal? That's unheard of."

" I agree. Though I must confess I'm curious." This one was a man with slightly greyish brown hair and somewhat pale eyes that seemed to know everything. He was leaning forward, as though having difficulties hearing. " Who would you consider strong enough to stop Sasuke if he decides to turn his back on Konoha again?"

It was almost impossible for her to hold back a smirk. " Naruto Uzumaki. He killed that Akatsuki member long ago, and who destroyed Pein with Tsunade-sama's help. He's strong enough."

The storm of disbelieving murmurs that erupted was incredible, and in the end Danzou lifted his hand. " Silence!" His eyes were chilling when they met hers. " As said earlier, you're asking a lot of us. Releasing Sasuke into the hands of a demon container? A matter of this magnitude requires a lot of thinking. We'll tell you as soon as we've come to a decision."

* * *

The next day Sasuke was just about to drift into a sleep of some sort before he snapped back into awareness when the cell's door was opened. He could hear faint, slightly muffled noises.

" Five minutes, kid. That much I can give you."

There was something he distinguished faintly as 'thanks', before the arrival already appeared into the room. He felt something between amused and troubled when facing Naruto, although he let no emotions show. It took his all to fight away a wince when _the thing_ started furious squirming in his stomach.

The blond's grin made him feel something he would've much rather pushed aside, although he couldn't really identify it. " Heh, it took a while, but now I finally got to visit you again."

His onyx eyes moved while the blond all but limped forth, then fell to sit on his bedside, and he couldn't help noticing that the boy had several bruises and other tiny signs of injuries. " Rough mission?" he suggested, determinedly chasing away the disturbing storm of emotions that erupted from his tone. For some reason that was beyond him it was hard not to ask ' Are you okay?'.

Naruto groaned, rubbing an apparently sore shoulder, and as little as he liked the irrational thought he would've wanted to join to the motions. " Danzou's kept me busy – apparently he's decided to keep me away from you." Blue eyes then flashed in a way he remembered very well. " But I've been waiting for so long that I can't be held back that easily."

He scoffed, feeling uneasy in his own skin, and wrapped his arms around himself. " I never asked you to wait, you know? I never asked for that night in the forest, either."

Naruto was silent for the smallest moment, then chuckled, surprising them both. " Yeah, I guess I know." He could feel a pair of eyes on him, which did nothing to make him feel at ease. There was a long moment of silence. " How the heck did things get like this, anyway?"

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall behind him because his pride didn't allow him to lean on the blond. " Dobe." With that simple remark he attempted to cover the fact that he had absolutely no answer.

Things… never went the way they were supposed to, it seemed.

All of a sudden – after a gathering of courage he could actually sense – Naruto opened his mouth once more with an expression he couldn't read. " Look… Sasuke…" The boy sighed uncharacteristically heavily. " We're gonna have to talk about _that_ night eventually, you know? We've been dancing around the subject for too long."

He immediately folded his arms, as though shielding _the thing_. " What is there left to be talked about? I thought we agreed it was a huge mistake, and that's the end of the deal."

But oh, Naruto had never been one to give up so easily. " Because whether it was a mistake or not we've gotta define what the heck we are now." The boy's eyes held something close to exasperation. " After all this crap I don't even know what to call us anymore."

It took a long moment before he managed to come up with anything to say. " You're a idiot", he stated in a perfectly casual tone, not meeting the blond's blue eyes. Instead he fixed his gaze through the cell's bars, to the sky where a raven circled around. " And I'm a lost cause who's never going to magically transform into what you seem to be expecting."

Naruto's mouth opened, he could tell, but before the boy could actually speak the cell's door opened and a guard was stood by the doorway with an unreadable expression. " It's time."

Naruto rose from his bedside with apparent reluctance, visibly biting back a groan. " Yeah, yeah, hold your horses." Just before walking away the boy turned towards him once more, with an expression he remembered better than well. " You're never a lost cause to me, you know?" The boy's voice was so sincere – so filled with emotion the blond didn't even try to hide – that no matter how hard he fought against it he couldn't keep himself from feeling something. " When it comes to you, I'll never stop trying. So perhaps I am an idiot." The blond then turned again with legs that seemed slightly weakened. " I just… wanted you to know that, that's all."

His mouth felt dry and numb, and there was a faint wet sound no one but he could've possibly heard before the smallest of sounds came. " Hn."

On his way Naruto – intentionally or not – brushed his stomach as though knowing, sending a shiver through him he just couldn't fight back. His pants felt uncomfortably tight all of a sudden, and his eyes narrowed. " I'll come back later, okay?" Naruto murmured, obviously not noticing his discomfort. " And just so you know… We're not through with this conversation."

He gave the blond a dry look. " I know."

Naruto's moves were slow and reluctant, but eventually the boy was out of the cell.

As soon as he was alone he groaned and winced a little, not liking the moves the _parasite_ had started as soon as it'd sensed Naruto's touch. It was squirming, twirling, though not yet kicking, and made him feel like vomiting.

He groaned out loud, unintentionally bringing his hand to where a tiny bulge was inevitably starting to appear. " I really, really hate you sometimes, you know?" He would've been shocked if he'd heard just how soft his voice was.

The motions inside him continued – a part of him wondered exactly what the thing was doing – and eventually he had to throw up.

And although he would've never admitted it even to himself, as he gagged and tried to breathe properly a tiny, forbidden and distant part of him wished Naruto had been there with him.

-

As soon as he got out of the cell Naruto let a tiny breath escape him as he blinked, unsure of what the movements inside his chest were about. His eyes burned and he allowed them to narrow a little bit.

It'd been good to see Sasuke – better than he could've ever imagined – but it'd also been almost unbearably hard. The whole time his skin had been sizzling, as he'd obviously been wanting something much more he couldn't name.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply while licking his slightly aching lips, then – as though he'd lost the last of his sanity – grinned. " Teme."

" Naruto."

Oddly enough, for just a moment a part of him assumed that voice to be Sasuke's.

The swat to his head, however, quickly proved him wrong. " Naruto, snap out of it, will you?"

His eyes flew open to meet Sakura's flashing ones, and he blinked rapidly. " Huh?"

The girl seemed to inhale and exhale sharply before managing to speak. " The council… There's been a decision. We should get Sasuke and go."

* * *

Naruto's legs were shaking rather pitiably while he entered the huge room where the council was waiting. It wasn't like him to get nervous like this, but at the moment there was painfully lot at stake.

" As Sakura probably told you, we've come to a decision." Danzou's face carried a touch of reluctance and displeasure, which gave him some hope. The man's eyes turned towards Sasuke. " Usually crimes like those of yours would be punished with death – I'm sure you're very much aware of that. And truthfully, death is exactly what I believe you'd deserve. But it appears my… associates considered some of your deeds – killing Itachi and Orochimaru – extenuating. Konoha has also seen more than enough death recently. And so we've made up our minds." The man folded his arms, looking as though the words soon to come hurt him physically. " You'll be put into a house arrest until further notice. If you commit even one crime during that time – if you do as much as plan a treachery of some sort –you _will_ face capital punishment. Understood?"

Sasuke's onyx eyes flashed. " Understood."

Naruto's heart seemed to spin around in his chest, and a tiny gasp left him.

Could… Could this be real? Was Sasuke really finally…?

This was too good to be true.

" Well then", Danzou spoke through tightly grit teeth, then leaned back in his chair. " Now, there'll be two guards outside the house at all times. But you'll also need someone to keep an eye on you."

Naruto spoke before he could stop himself. " I'll do it", he announced, his voice carrying absolutely no hesitation. " He can live in my house. I'll watch over him." He didn't dare to meet Sasuke's face, because he was almost sure about the expression he'd meet there.

" What?!" Sasuke exclaimed, but became ignored.

Danzou didn't seem surprised. " We were about to ask you already, but I'm glad you suggested it yourself. You should know, though…" The man held a small pause. " If you let him commit a crime, you'll also face a punishment. Are you willing to take that chance?"

" Yes." Because in all honesty… If Sasuke would leave and betray him – them all – again… How was he supposed to go on like nothing had happened when he'd have nothing but his determination and empty dreams left?

* * *

About an hour later Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane appeared to a balcony where Danzou was smoking with a heated expression.

" So you were an idiot enough to let the Uchiha on the loose", Homura snarled with narrowed, flaming eyes.

Koharu didn't seem any more pleased while folding her arms, shivering against the cool night air. " Do you have any idea what that brat can do to us?"

" Yes, I'm very much aware of the threat. But there was nothing I could do to question the result of a voting, no matter how tight it was", Danzou snarled, dumping his cigarette. " However, there's also a ray of hope." His eyes flashed. " Sasuke won't be able to change his ways – any given day the rage inside him will take over and he makes a wrong move." His eyes darkened. "And that day is the end of the Uchiha clan."

* * *

_**Two Weeks Later.**_

* * *

To say the least, staying in Naruto's house had been a challenging experience for Sasuke.

Not only did he dislike having a roommate, but it was also next to impossible to hide his intense morning (and, as it seemed, also afternoon and evening) sickness from the nowadays disturbingly observant blond, who seemed determined not to let him out of his sight.

But, little as he liked to admit it, the stay also had some perks. With all the uncertainties weighing his mind it was good to have Naruto there distracting him. Apparently living with the blond also wasn't as bad as he'd expected.

And so, after half a month, he was slowly starting to get used to his new life as a prisoner in Naruto's house. Or well, was before that morning…

-

Naruto had always been the type that wakes up slowly in the mornings. That's why he was extremely groggy while crawling out of his bed and sauntering towards his tiny bathroom with somewhat unsteady steps.

He was groggy enough not to hear the sound of running water that stopped abruptly. And groggy enough to forget that he wasn't living alone anymore.

What he met when opening the bathroom door wasn't something he'd been ready to face. For there, right before his eyes, was Sasuke, his black hair dripping wet and his naked skin shining in the room's light.

Sasuke's gaze turned abruptly towards him, and onyx eyes flashed dangerously. The raven covered himself with a towel, obviously having forgotten that they'd seen each other naked. " What the hell are you doing?"

He barely even heard the raven.

He was having _bad_ thoughts – very, _very _bad thoughts. And he needed to get out before he'd be stupid enough to work on them.

Something like " Urgh" and " Sorry" was all he managed to produce before he threw the door closed and bolted out of the house.

One of the guards stood behind his door gave him a weird look. " Everything okay?"

_No_, he felt like snapping, but in the end managed to force a grin while sweat dropping. " Yup. Everything's just fine."

Just then he noticed a familiar, pink haired figure all but running towards him. He frowned when spotting the look on Sakura's face. " Hey, what's up?"

Her green eyes carrying something that chilled him, Sakura finally managed to blurt out, badly out of breath. " It's… It's Iruka."

* * *

Sasuke mused that it must've been pretty late that evening when he woke up from Naruto's couch to the sound of a door opening. He frowned at all the darkness his eyes met, wondering when he'd fallen asleep.

Apparently _the thing_ was making him even more exhausted than he'd been so far.

His attention then locked to the steps approaching, and to tiny, strange sounds he couldn't identify. It took some moments before Naruto's familiar, slightly husky voice sounded. " Sasuke? You awake?"

He rolled his eyes a little, although there was some alarm coursing through his veins. Something was wrong. " What do you think, dobe?" He then turned himself so that he was looking at the blond, who all but slumped to his bedside. A frown appeared to his face without being invited. " What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. Apparently this was something the boy wasn't ready and willing to deal with just yet. " I just… I'll tell you later, 'k?"

He nodded slowly while forcing himself into a sitting position, not really understanding. " Okay", was the most intellectual comment he could muster.

For some moments they sat in utter silence, far closer to each other than either one of them noticed. Then – so suddenly that he blinked twice at the motions – Naruto wrapped a pair of arms around him. At first he thought the blond was simply hugging, but when the kisses, bites and caressing motions started he finally understood what was going on.

Shivers he'd not been ready for danced all over his body, and it took all his self control not to break into noises of pleasure when the blond became bolder still, kissed him everywhere. _The thing_ in his stomach seemed to be dancing, but surprisingly enough it didn't make him feel nauseated at the moment. " I thought we weren't supposed to do _this _again", he all but murmured, not managing to make himself push the boy away.

Naruto made an unrecognizable sound, nibbling his ear. " If you really want me to stop, go ahead and walk away, then."

He couldn't bring himself to budge. Instead he wrapped his arms demandingly around Naruto and growled, his nails sinking into the boy's skin.

He knew it was stupid, idiotic, to willingly have another moment of weakness, to surrender under his childish urges, but he couldn't hold himself back for another second. The _need_, heat, inside him was much too strong.

And so he decided not to fight back when Naruto all but attacked him, making him feel like drowning under the intensity of the affection.

**LEMON WARNING**

Naruto's eyes burned when he kissed Sasuke's mouth hard while roughly pulling off the raven's clothes, making the Uchiha shudder under his touches. His heart started to race with about a million emotions when he lost absolutely all control and attacked the raven's neck, giving teasing bites that made the boy moan out loud.

Perhaps he was being selfish, most likely he was making a mistake, but he just couldn't care at the moment, not when he needed this so much.

He absently figured that Sasuke most likely didn't even know about the faint gasp the boy emitted when he pinned the raven against a mattress, then leaned as close as possible, nearby enough to make it possible for them to feel each other's breaths. He welcomed the hardness appearing against his leg with a toothy grin, and looked straight to the other's smouldering eyes. " You're not running away from me again, bastard", he all but growled huskily.

' Then make me stay', Sasuke's eyes challenged.

And that was exactly what he decided to do.

Had his mind been a little less in chaos, he might've been amazed by how easily, effortlessly, Sasuke let him in and he thrust himself into the Uchiha. It felt like they'd done this a million times over. He grinned and repeated those motions several times when the other boy shivered underneath him, visibly holding back an outburst of uncontrollable pleasure. In the end they both screamed rather loudly, and his head was swimming as he came hard.

_Holy…!_

He'd _never_ felt _anything_ like this before, not even the last time they'd done this. This was so real, so powerful, that a couple of tears of joy that dried quickly trickled to his cheeks while he licked still trembling, lightly gasping Sasuke's neck. " So…", he all but purred. " I take that as you liked it."

Sasuke's gaze met his while he emerged from the Uchiha, filled with so much that he fought back a gasp. There was a rosy hue he considered extremely adorable on the raven's cheeks. " Dobe." Then – so skilfully and with such vigour that it surprised him – the Uchiha took a firm hold of his waistline, pushing him determinedly to the best possible decision. " Your turn."

At first he thought Sasuke would simply claim him – after all, straightforward sounded like the Uchiha's style. That's why he all but yelped with surprise when feeling a finger being inserted into him at first to stretch him up, and glanced towards the raven with surprise while trembling with bliss. " What…?"

Onyx eyes were burning with something he hadn't seen in them before while the Uchiha looked back at him. " You're too tense, dobe", the boy then murmured, leaning close to his neck and making his skin tingle. " Relax."

And that he did.

His head all but spun while more fingers appeared – two, then three, until he moaned loudly, almost sure that he'd lose his mind soon enough. He squeezed the blanket underneath him and gasped, almost coming again while Sasuke did so with a carefully controlled sound that made him shiver with pleasure.

Although his mind was practically shutting down with all he was feeling, he did know that he'd never experienced anything like this before.

That night neither of them managed to care about the guards they knew to be outside as they moaned, all but screamed, under pleasure unlike anything they'd ever felt before.

As they finally fell asleep into each other's arms – sweaty, sticky and utterly exhausted – neither bothered to think how the heck they were supposed to explain their bite- and scratch marks the next day. Nor did they bother thinking how they'd deal with this in the morning.

(It was a real miracle that all night Naruto didn't manage to notice the mild changes Sasuke's body had gone through.)

**LEMON WARNING ENDS**

* * *

Night had almost turned into a morning when Sasuke opened one of the apartment's windows, careful not to wake Naruto. He gave a soft, barely audible whistle, and in a matter of moments a hawk appeared soundlessly, sitting to his outstretched hand without any hesitation.

His eyes moved ever so slightly, spotting a tiny note attached to the bird. He picked it and folded it open without much of a thought. The handwriting he met was without a doubt Suigetsu's.

_We're ready as soon as you are. Should we call Madara?_

_Be careful._

His eyes flashed while he destroyed the note, then quickly wrote and attached his own.

_We don't need him. Once I've got the reinforcements activated the so called __pillars__ of Konoha will crumble._

After a couple of moments he watched the bird disappear, then turned towards Naruto, who was sleeping soundly not too far away. Suddenly the night felt much colder than before.

Sometimes knowing less was the best option, he told himself.

He then winced when there was odd, stabbing pain in his stomach, and instinctively looked downwards. A small, wheezing sound left him when he noticed something on his pants in the pale moonlight.

A stain of blood.

He breathed hard while everything started to sway.

* * *

Right outside Konoha, a firm hand reached out and grabbed the hawk. It fought for a while, but eventually surrendered under a stronger will.

Madara's eyes flashed while he read Sasuke's note.

" So…", Kisame – who was peering over his shoulder – inquired, eyes flashing. " What do we do?"

His eyes flamed while put the note back to where it'd been and let the bird go. " This may be exactly the chance we've been waiting for. It's time to start the preparations."

* * *

TBC, OR….?

* * *

A/N: So Sasuke's three months along. AND, they did IT again. (grins cheekily) But GAH, that stupid teme – what the heck is he planning?! I must confess I REALLY sympathize with his nausea at the moment, though… And is there something wrong with the baby?

In the next one (if you want to see such, of course): Some of the plans boiling up are beginning to become revealed. And Naruto FINDS OUT.

Awkay, I'll better tune out and hop towards my bed before I make myself nauseated. (grins) **PLEASE**, do leave a review before going! Awww, I can tell you want to click that button.

Bye for now, folks!

Take care!


	4. The Art Of Dealing

A/N: And I'm baaaaack – and FINALLY back in the land of the living, too. (grins) Stomach flue's seriously no fun. (shudders)

BUT, before letting you get on with the story… WOAH – just take a look at that number of reviews! (gasps, then sniffs) You guys, thank you so much – you're absolutely incredible! I can't believe you've liked the story thus far that much. (sniffs again)

Oh yeah, **IMPORTANT NOTICE**. After your responses and thinking about it, I've decided that this ficcy WILL become an eightshot. Otherwise I'd have to skip over some pretty important things and I'm afraid the story would become rushed, so I think this'll turn out to be the best. (grins)

Awkay, especially after the cliffy I left you on I think I've been blabbering well long enough. (grins sheepishly, then dodges flying objects) I REALLY hope you'll enjoy this one, un!

* * *

**PHASE FOUR: The Art Of Dealing**

* * *

" Sasuke."

He frowned, not liking this voice that invaded his head without invitation.

" Sasuke, c'mon, look at me." Did someone just… touch him? " Hey, what's wrong?"

Very slowly and with far more effort than it should've required, he opened his eyes just a little bit to meet a flash of worry – or no, _terror_ – stained blue. His gaze blurred, and if he'd been a little more coherent he might've wondered if it really was only because of dizziness. His lips opened – to produce what, he had no idea – but in the end all that left him was a small, exhausted breath.

He was fairly sure he heard a small scream while he fell forward into darkness.

-

Never, ever had Naruto felt such terror he did when he caught Sasuke as the raven, who'd been stood before a window swaying, fell unconscious. " SASUKE!"

Frantically and with badly trembling hands he tried out Sasuke's pulse and heartbeat, and almost cried out with relief when finding them strong. His worry, however, didn't come even close to disappearing.

What the heck had happened?!

Just then his attention slipped once more to noticing something that made his head spin even worse. When moonlight hit Sasuke's loose pants in the correct angle, he could easily distinguish a growing stain of blood.

He blinked twice, his brain not managing to catch on. In the end, however, he shook his screaming, chaotic head and decided that questions could wait until later. Right now he had urgent matters to take care of.

Gathering the light Uchiha easily into his arms, he cradled to boy close and ran, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he wasn't too late.

* * *

The two hours, ten minutes and forty-eight seconds Naruto had to wait after taking Sasuke to the hospital were the longest in his entire life. He didn't notice the people who cast pitying looks towards him – which were a striking contrast to the usual glances of distaste and mistrust – paid no mind to the buzzing going on around him. All the while his fingers were crossed, although he'd never been a particularly spiritual person.

If something had gone _wrong_… If he'd _lose_ Sasuke just like this…

" Naruto." Sakura's voice made him jump and yelp just a little, but eventually he managed to look at the pinkette. She seemed exhausted and somewhat solemn, but something about her expression also gave him hope – unlike the bloodstains he could see much too clearly on the uniform she'd forgotten to remove. " Sasuke… He's going to be fine. We managed to stop the bleeding. He's resting now."

He barely dared to believe those words. His friend's green eyes, however, held no lie. " So… it's over, right? You're not joking."

As a response Sakura swatted his head rather gently. " You know I'd never joke about this." ' About him', she was smart enough not to voice.

He took a deep, yet feeble breath, bringing both hands to his face for a moment. He couldn't remember many times he would've felt this relieved. It took several moments before he was composed enough to think. And as soon as he was, there was only one question in his head. " What… What happened?" He met Sakura's eyes, surprised by the nearly terrified, reluctant look in them. " What was wrong with Sasuke?" What if this was all his fault?

The pinkette bit her lip hard. " I made a promise not to tell, Naruto." It was clear she wouldn't have wanted to keep hiding.

He balled his fists, feeling _desperate_. " Sakura-chan, please!" His voice nearly crackled, but he didn't care. He swallowed thickly. " He… He's _important_ to me, 'k? So… So please…"

There was a long, stone hard silence that almost drove him insane. Eventually Sakura gulped thickly, not meeting his gaze, obviously not sure if she should say whatever was to come. " Look, Naruto… I know you and Sasuke… had _an encounter_ three months ago."

His cheeks blushed like never before, and his throat went completely dry for several moments until he managed to sputter. " H –How…?!" How could she possibly…?!

The look she darted towards him would've without a doubt made him fall down if he hadn't been sitting, not to even mention the affect of the words that followed. " Because… Because Sasuke's pregnant. With your child. And… He almost miscarried tonight."

Absolutely everything disappeared from his head, and he gasped for air like a drowning man, never sensing how all color disappeared from his face. He'd been fighting for breath for almost fifteen minutes until the battle turned into hysterical laughing. " You… You're messing with me, right?" The laughing didn't stop despite the look on the pinkette's face. " Look… Sasuke's a _guy_, okay? He… He can't be…!"

He finally managed to regain some composure when Sakura swatted his head again, obviously to wake him up. " Get a hold of yourself, alright?" she all but hissed. Her expression then softened as she met his eyes, most likely found all the worry and confusion in them. She sighed heavily. " Naruto, he needs you, do you understand? They both do. So you can go in as soon as you feel ready for it."

Had the situation been a little different he might've snorted.

Ready? Like he could ever be ready for an encounter like this. He, however, grinned bravely, loyal to his nature. " Yup. I'm ready."

* * *

Sasuke's head was still badly drowsy when the medication given to him started to fade away slowly, giving him a chance to think at least somewhat properly. He blinked slowly, desperately trying to make sense to the white roof, dark room and horrendous, sterile stench that seemed to slap him across the face.

" Well you sure took your sweet time." Naruto's voice – tired, relieved and irritated all at once – managed to catch him off guard. It took a moment before he managed to look at the blond, who was sitting in a chair beside his bed, seeming to tremble a little. " I thought you'd just sleep all night, teme." Just then the boy took a deep, slightly shuddering breath that made him feel a bang he would've much rather denied. " Do you have any idea how badly you scared me, bastard?"

As he observed the other's face for two seconds he _knew_. His eyes narrowed while he, without noticing it, placed a protective hand to his bump that was starting to show. " You… _know_, don't you?" _Damn it…_ This was exactly the point he'd wanted to avoid.

He could've never imagined facing such a blaze that appeared to Naruto's eyes just then. The boy seemed absolutely furious, though at who was impossible to tell. " Not thanks to you. Why the hell didn't you tell me?! Why… Were you ever even going to…?!" Just then blue eyes filled with something between sadness and disappointment as the boy understood. " You weren't going to tell me at all, were you? Have you even decided what to do with this baby?"

He looked away and grit his teeth. He really wished Naruto wouldn't call the thing a baby – it sounded even worse than when coming from Sakura's mouth. " I don't know, okay?" His tone was sharp, but also carried a side tone he didn't like. He moved his hand from his stomach as though the skin had burned. " I just don't know anything."

Naruto didn't speak for a long moment, and he already lived in hopes that the Uzumaki would leave and let him sleep until this nightmare would be all over. He, however, wasn't given such luck.

He shuddered and growled when Naruto was actually foolish and bold enough to move his shirt and lay a hand to his stomach. He immediately shot a heated look towards the other. " What the hell are you doing?!" As though they hadn't been… _touching_ earlier, but this was different, much more disturbing.

The blond rolled his eyes. " Oh, shut it. I know you have nothing against this, anyway."

He would've liked to argue, but didn't feel up to it at the moment. Instead he focused on the boy's expression to keep himself from thinking about the touch. He frowned, not understanding the look on Naruto's face.

There was something… against the nature inside him, something sick and wrong. So how could the idiot just…?!

Naruto wasn't actually _happy_ about this, was he?

" Sasuke…" The Uzumaki's breath, faint as it was, caught him badly off guard. The blond blinked, without a doubt trying to fight off something. Blue eyes were filled with bafflement and daze when meeting his – emotions so strong he'd never seen anything such before. " This… Can't you feel this?"

He shivered just a little, and hoped the blond didn't notice. " Feel what?" he demanded.

Without any explanation Naruto grabbed his hand and brought it to his stomach, ignoring his rather intense glare.

At first there was nothing, but then his fingertips sensed something. Almost like twirling.

And at that moment he realized what he felt, whether he liked it or not, much too clearly. Something was pulsating underneath his skin, so strong that he was surprised he hadn't noticed it before.

He squirmed a little, not sure if he was more uncomfortable with this new sensation, the things it aroused in him or Naruto's touch. He fought himself to a sitting position. " What the hell is that?"

Naruto chuckled, which made him feel odd inside. " And you call me a dobe." Once more those sparkling, absolutely overjoyed eyes met his. " Don't you get it, Sasuke? It's our baby's Chakra – your baby's. It's that brand new life inside you." If possible the boy's grin grew ten times bigger. " Everything… Everything's okay."

What those words made him feel… He just couldn't explain it, didn't even want to. Everything was too confusing and annoying that night.

He emitted a sound he couldn't distinguish, and would've pushed the blond's touch away if he'd possessed the strength. " Hmmph." He then blinked sluggishly, feeling light headed all of a sudden.

Naruto frowned at him. " What's wrong?"

He shook his head and grit teeth, not really wanting to share this. " I'm just tired, idiot."

Naruto shrugged. " So sleep. I'll be right here, 'k?"

Very slowly, tentatively, he did lay down, his eyes not daring to leave Naruto out of his sight for even a second. Already then he knew he wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep.

Unbroken silence lingered while they remained absolutely still, as though someone had pressed 'pause'-button; he lay there, barely daring to breathe although he would've never admitted it, and Naruto holding a trembling hand against his now bare stomach.

Amongst a million other screaming thoughts, both had the same question bouncing around their heads.

_What the hell are we going to do now?_

Neither of them slept that night.

* * *

In the meantime not all that far away, a young female medic who'd just started her work entered the room where Tsunade had been resting for a very long time already. She dropped the equipment she'd been carrying when meeting a pair of open eyes.

* * *

_**Three Weeks Later.**_

* * *

The past weeks had been, to say the least, uncomfortable for Naruto and Sasuke. Not only did they have their messy relationship to deal with – as far as avoiding the problem altogether could be called dealing – but now there was also a baby on the way (or 'the thing', as Naruto, much to his dismay, found Sasuke calling the still unborn child).

People are, however, known for their ability to adjust. And over the weeks the boys slowly learned to cope with their lives having been turned upside down. In Naruto's case, that happened almost scarily easily.

Naruto had hard time not laughing at Sasuke's grumpy expression while he all but dragged the Uchiha through Konoha, neither of them noticing the looks of distrust and nervous murmurs darted the raven's way. " I can't believe you're doing _this_, when I'm only allowed to spend an hour outside the house per week", the boy muttered in the end. The other rubbed his stomach, obviously feeling mildly nauseated. " This thing's a handful enough even without all those stupid books."

He rolled his eyes. " We're going to be parents, Sasuke. We've gotta be prepared for everything – I mean, we've got only about five months left."

Sasuke gave him a nearly incredulous look. " You sound like you're actually excited about this, dobe."

He grinned, caressing the other's tiny bump briefly. " How could I not be excited about _this_?"

Sasuke's left eyebrow twitched violently. " Stop touching me in public, idiot!"

Embarrassingly enough they were so worked up by each other that Sakura managed to sneak up on them. " You know, if you really want to keep this thing hidden from Konoha, you're not doing a very good job."

Naruto scolded himself inwardly before looking towards the pinkette. " Hey, Sakura-chan. I thought you were on duty today."

A somewhat troubled expression appeared to her face. " Well, technically I still am." She gave him a rather cautious look. " I'm going to see Iruka."

He blinked, feeling a stab inside. " Oh." He then noticed her expression. " What's funny?"

The pinkette shook her head. " You two are like such a old married couple, that's all."

Sasuke scoffed, and he opened his mouth to respond as well – but didn't get far before all words got stuck in his throat when he saw Neji approaching.

He was by no means a coward, but if his legs had possessed even a little bit strength at that moment he would've without a doubt ran off.

And soon enough it was too late, for the boy's pale eyes met his. There was a flash he couldn't recognize in them, and in an instant a painful memory stabbed right through his head.

Gosh, Hinata's voice still sounded so clear…!

/ _" So I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because I love you."_ /

It was a real miracle that he managed to grin. " So… You're back from the mission already?"

Neji nodded stiffly, then sighed, sounding almost exhausted. " Look, Naruto…"

" Neji." He wasn't sure if he felt infuriated or relieved when a male Root ninja he'd never seen before walked up to them just then, short clipped white hair messy and a pompous look in his dark eyes. " Danzou-sama's been waiting for you. There's something he wants to talk to you about."

Neji nodded, then glanced towards him once more. " We'll continue this later."

He nodded as well, feeling a huge lump in his throat, then watched the boy leave without being able to do a thing. A stinging sensation appeared to his eyes.

_I… I'm so sorry, okay? I'm sorry._

But, as he soon harshly reminded himself, it was too late for apologies already.

At that moment it all got just a little bit too much for him. Not really managing to keep his emotions in check, he looked towards Sakura and Sasuke. " I… I've gotta go, 'k? I'll be back in a bit."

-

Sakura found it hard not to sigh while she watched Naruto's back distance, saw how slumped the blond's shoulders were.

" What the hell was that all about?" Sasuke's voice caught her by surprise, and it wasn't until then she realized that he had no idea what'd happened.

This time she sighed out loud, her eyes still on Naruto. " Hinata… She died, in Pein's attack." She wondered if she should've added the rest as well, but decided not to.

Sasuke nodded slowly, some pieces seeming to click. She frowned when the boy started to move. " Where are you going?"

Sasuke merely shrugged. " I'm in a house arrest, remember? I'm supposed to be his responsibility."

She couldn't keep herself from smiling while watching the raven go.

Maybe there was a little bit hope of those two sorting their things out, after all. So long as no idiocy would rip it all apart…

* * *

The world had been a bizarre place for Iruka ever since he'd woken up from this strange, nearly destroyed village, amongst people who's faces looked like distinct reflections of something that'd been important once upon a time.

He wasn't able to remember. After all he'd been barely able to move, and – as he'd heard the people taking care of him whisper – in many ways he'd been as helpless as a child. Now, after weeks of harsh working out, his muscles had regained a tiny bit of the strength they'd once had, and he was at least somewhat able to eat by himself. Remembering, however, was something he couldn't do. And it bothered him almost enough to drive him insane.

" Now take a look at this, Iruka-sensei." The voice of a medic who'd introduced herself as Sakura brought him out of those depressing thoughts. He didn't have the strength to turn his head enough to see her, but fortunately she moved. He wondered why the expression on her face seemed so strange, as though it hadn't belonged there. She was showing him something that held colors he remembered faintly as red and green. " This is a beautiful rose. I didn't expect to find such from here anymore, after…" She trailed off all of a sudden, as though she'd said something forbidden.

He tried to summon the will to open his mouth – to produce something – but became interrupted when a sudden breeze made him shiver. Strangely familiar voices filled his head, another one of them sounding disturbingly lot like his own.

/ _" Take that injured man and get out of here. Leave this to me."_

_" Good luck, Kakashi."_ /

-

" Kak… ashi."

Sakura froze, and the flower almost fell from her grasp while her eyes widened. Very slowly she turned her head – only to notice that Iruka looked exactly the same as he had moments ago.

She must've been imagining things.

Suppressing a sigh, she took a firm hold of his wheelchair. " Now let's go", she murmured. " You'll start feeling cold soon, and we need to get this flower into water before it withers. We should go back inside."

* * *

It took far longer than Sasuke would've expected, but eventually he found Naruto sitting on the rooftop of a tiny house, looking into another house on the other side of the street through a rather huge window.

He arched an eyebrow. " So you've become a pervert while I was away."

Naruto shivered a little with surprise, then gave him a somewhat moody look. " Very funny." The blond then looked back towards the house, appearing so torn that it made him feel uncomfortable. " I was just… looking on, a bit."

Feeling uncharacteristically curious, he looked towards the house as well to find Sakura taking care of Iruka. It felt strange to him to see the man's expression so blank, to find those eyes so lifeless and lost. " I see", he responded after a long pause.

" According to Sakura-chan he's been making good progress. I bet he'll be okay in no time." Based on Naruto's tone, he wondered if even the boy managed to believe those words. " He… isn't allowed visitors yet, though – they'd confuse him too much. But… It's good to see him awake, and healing." Despite those words the blond's eyes seemed as sad and lost as Iruka's – it was obvious the boy would've needed his former teacher at the moment, when everything was such a mess.

At that moment he decided to ignore his pride and all common sense. Instead of turning around and leaving – which would've probably been the wisest thing to do – he sat down, as close to the blond as he could without it arousing confusing surges and urges. " It's… going to be okay", he muttered, those words tasting and sounding weird when coming from him. He'd never been much good with comforting people – that was a commonly known fact. What the hell was he supposed to do?

Apparently, however, even that pathetic attempt was enough for Naruto. The boy grabbed his hand with a painfully optimistic grin, and hard as he tried he couldn't find the will to brush the touch away. " I know."

He didn't know how to react, so after a " Hn" he let silence fall. After a few moments, however, he gasped faintly and frowned when feeling something in his stomach he'd never experienced before. It was… like a jolt, almost.

Naruto, of course noticing his discomfort, gave him a look. " What's wrong?"

He blinked twice before managing to speak. " The baby…" He didn't even realize he'd called it such while he pressed his hand tighter, feeling the motions even more clearly now. He'd never felt the kind of emotions that stirred to life just then, couldn't understand or explain them. " I think it just kicked."

Naruto's eyes flew wide, he could tell even without looking. " What?!" Not wasting another second the blond moved and placed a hand to his barely visible bump, pressing himself so close to him that his chest made uncomfortable movements. After a second there was the loudest gasp he'd ever heard. " Man…!"

Not having the slightest clue as to what to feel he looked towards the boy's face, stunned by the expression of utter joy on them. Naruto… He seemed so _okay_ with all this… " You're not going to pass out or cry, are you?"

The blond emitted a slightly choked sound. " Teme." The boy's blue eyes shone with happiness unlike anything he'd ever seen before when they rose to meet his. " Sasuke, look what we've done."

He smiled wryly, rolling his eyes. " Yeah, I know."

Naruto simply laughed.

As the Uzumaki wrapped a pair of arms tightly around him and _held _him in a way that took the mighty Uchiha's breath away, and he couldn't make himself fight back, he knew only one thing for sure.

He was in a deep shit. Because at that moment, as sun hit something metallic, he saw a clear, blindingly bright flash. A sign.

It was time to move.

* * *

That night, after making sure Naruto was fast asleep, Sasuke did something he hadn't tried in a long while. His eyes were closed and a couple of sweat drops could be seen on his forehead while his fingers danced in the rhythm of a jutsu he didn't like all that much.

Gathering Chakra was ridiculously challenging in his condition, he noted gloomily.

Eventually he inhaled deep and opened his eyes, pleased to see a fully ready clone before him. It'd definitely be enough to fool the two guards outside the house – as long as Naruto wouldn't wake up, he'd be safe.

As he left the house soundlessly two minutes later – not willing to meet Naruto with his gaze, and fighting to ignore the strange sensation in his stomach – he had a strange, nagging feeling that he was making a mistake.

-

Even with staying in the shadows it took him only fifteen minutes to reach the edge of the village, where a surprisingly big number of somewhat suspicious looking men was waiting for him.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised by the amount of participants, though. He'd been sending notes of 'the new wave' even in the prison, contacting everyone he found sharing his… ideas about Danzou, and his new team had been working as well. Danzou was despised by many. It was to be expected that despite his reputation many would become curious, if not willing to actually move against the new leaders of their village.

The first one to step forth was Hiashi Hyuuga, whose pale eyes smouldered with hunger for vengeance and doubt. " We all got your message. Are you really planning on going against Danzou and the elders?"

He nodded, folding his arms. His expression didn't weaver, nor did his tone as he spoke. " Yes. Are you going to join me?"

" Hinata…" Hiashi grit his teeth so hard that he could hear it. " _This_ isn't the village she fought for. I don't want Danzou's era to be the reward for all those lives sacrificed. However…" The man's eyes turned hard. " This is extremely dangerous. How are we supposed to be able to trust you? You already betrayed this village once – what guarantee do we have that you won't do it again?"

His expression remained stoic. This was something he'd been expecting. " Konoha is none of my interest – all I want is the scalps of Danzou and the elders, with or without your help."

Hiashi didn't seem the slightest bit more trusting. " What do you have against them?"

His eyes flashed hazardously. " That, is none of your business." He then lifted his chin a little bit, allowing his eyes to turn red. " The Uchiha clan will rise again. It's your choice whether you join it or fall down along with the old leaves." With that he turned around and started to walk away with confident, graceful steps. " I'm giving you seven days to decide. After that I want to see your response." With those words as his closure he disappeared, leaving the troubled men muttering by themselves.

-

None of them noticed Zetsu, who disappeared from a tree not too far away without a sound.

* * *

**_One Week Later._**

* * *

Naruto was definitely someone to get excited easily. And as he stood – fidgeted on his feet – in one of the hospital's rooms that morning, he could barely fit into his own skin while Sakura smeared some gel onto a machine he'd never seen before.

Sasuke glared with deep distaste while the machine approached his stomach. From where he stood, Naruto could see that one of the raven's hands was twitching. " Is this necessary?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. " Yes – we need to make sure the baby's okay, especially because of that bleeding. Plus, the first trimester was very rough and your situation is… well, exceptional." She held a small pause. " This is cold, but you should try to hold still, 'k?"

Despite those words Sasuke swore under his breath and squirmed while the machine and gel attacked his bare skin.

Naruto barely realized what he was doing while he reached out a hand and rubbed the poor raven's shoulder, holding back a chuckle. " Relax, will you? It's not gonna bite or anything."

The glare he got as a response silenced him effectively.

After a moment it was something else entirely that struck him speechless. For as he turned his gaze when hearing Sakura gasp, he felt everything inside and around him shudder and sway at what he found.

There, on a tiny screen, he could see something moving. And as his eyes sharpened, they widened upon the realization that he wasn't looking at anything other but the baby, which was moving around quite comfortably.

Never, ever had he felt anything like he did then, and in the end he had to sit into the chair that was thankfully right behind him. " Holy…!"

-

Sasuke barely heard Naruto, because all his attention was locked to the thing moving around on the screen. He never realized how his breath hitched while he moved his hand subconsciously, placing it only inches from where the gel line started.

So… That was what'd been causing all this havoc – that was what'd decided to make a nest into him. That was what he'd been carrying for months already.

There really was a parasite in him. It even had arms, and it seemed to be sucking its thumb while moving around like a dancer of some sort.

Suddenly the thing looked far too much like a baby to his liking

" It… It seems everything's okay – the baby looks exactly like it's supposed to." Sakura seemed to be close to tears of joy, and he really wished she wouldn't have shown her emotions like that – it would've made it easier for him to keep his feelings at bay. " Pretty soon it's possible to tell which gender the baby is."

Sasuke wondered why his heart chose to jump at those words.

He must've sunken into a world of his own, because he was mildly startled when Naruto spoke and pointed all of a sudden. " Sakura-chan, what's that?"

It took a long moment – mostly because of all the goo covering his mind – but eventually he, too, could make out a clear shadow on the screen, right behind the ba… _thing_ (as he quickly corrected himself with embarrassment).

Sakura shook her head after a moment. " I… don't know. I'll ask someone more experienced as soon as I can." Seeing their looks she went on. " Don't worry, I won't give any names."

" You better not", he growled while grabbing a tissue from a nearby table and forcefully wiping away the gel. He wouldn't take any more of this – his head was messed up enough as it was, and he was starting to feel nauseated. " I'm going to the bathroom."

-

Naruto watched with some confusion as Sasuke all but sprinted out of the room. " What's with him?"

A wistful smile rose to Sakura's face. " Oh, I think he's beginning to see the light, that's all."

He gave her a questioning look – not even pretending that he'd understood – but once getting no answer took the first step towards the door. " Well, whatever the heck this is about I guess I should go after him."

" One more thing, Naruto." There was something strange in Sakura's tone that forced him to stop and turn with a questioning expression. She sighed quietly. " You know… Tsunade-sama's been asking about you. She has a long session of physical therapy today, so she'll be tired, but… You really should visit her soon. She's been worried."

He shivered a little. Of course he knew he was avoiding the meeting and it was ridiculous, but the guilt… How was he supposed to look at Tsunade, knowing that what she was going through was his fault? " I know. Tell her I said 'hi', and I'm sorry, 'k?" He then grinned – pushing troubling thoughts aside for the time being – and waved his hand while going. " I better go and make sure the teme doesn't do anything stupid. See you later!"

He didn't turn around to meet Sakura's thoughtful expression. " Yeah… See you, Naruto."

* * *

That night Sasuke woke up from his light slumber when feeling something brush his stomach. He managed to summon a rather powerless glare when finding Naruto hovering above him. " Tell me you didn't just touch me while I was sleeping", he growled.

The blond grinned sheepishly. " Sorry. I just… I had a feeling that the baby was kicking. I wanted to feel it."

He rolled his eyes, not sure what to call the feeling that appeared, and fixed his eyes to the roof above him. Funny, he hadn't noticed that black spot before. " Idiot."

" Hmph." Naruto, of course, didn't have the patience to maintain his silence long. " Look, Sasuke… It's been a month, and we still haven't talked about _it_."

He huffed, and wished he could've just kicked the other boy away – he was getting a headache. " That's because we don't want to talk about it."

" _You_ don't want to – I _need_ to." Naruto, apparently, was just as stubborn as usual. Finally looking at the blond, he found a pair of determined blue eyes. " It… It meant a lot to me, okay? And… I'd like to think that it meant at least something to you, too."

He wished he could've spoken – hissed, snorted, _anything_ – to deny all affection, to tear down whatever the heck Naruto was trying to build up. But for some reason absolutely all he could give was another " Hn".

He couldn't keep himself from shivering ever so slightly when Naruto leaned forward and placed a tiny, yet surprisingly emotion filled kiss to his lips. He wondered if it was a blush he felt on his cheeks and saw on Naruto's while the boy pulled away and stumbled up. " Just… Goodnight, teme." With that the boy escaped into the bedroom, leaving him paralyzed by confusion and irritation.

_Now_ what the hell was he supposed to do?

-

An hour later, when Naruto was already sound asleep, Sasuke stood on the building's roof and shivered at what he found.

A bright, clearly visible candle was burning on the windowsill of about every other house. From up above, it looked like half of the village had been on fire. Everywhere people responded to his call for a one last battle over Konoha.

His eyes turned red as lava.

The revolution had just began – soon enough the final phase of his revenge would be completed.

* * *

In the Hokage's room, Danzou's eyes smouldered as he watched the candles light up one by one.

" Do you see it now, too?" Madara's voice was perfectly even while the man sat comfortably on a couch not too far away. " It's already happening, right underneath your nose. Sasuke is going to be your doom."

His eyes narrowed while he grit his teeth. " Name your price", he spat out. " If you can really get rid of… _this_, I'll pay anything."

Madara shrugged, he could tell from the whispers of fabric. " I'm not asking much." There was a tiny pause. " All I want is Sasuke."

He frowned, looking towards the man. " Why?"

There was another shrug. " I have my reasons."

He took a sharp breath. " Fine." One traitor was a small price to pay for the full power over the village, for preventing impending doom. " We have a deal."

" Very good." Madara leaned forward, looking like a snake preparing for an attack. " It's time to make some plans…"

* * *

TBC, NO?

* * *

A/N: (blinks) So Sasuke's been working on his revenge even in the prison? And he's planning on a freakin' revolution to get rid of Danzou and the elders? Oh man, this is gonna get messy… (gulps thickly) And what's Madara planning?

But hey, at least he's finally starting to accept 'the thing'! (cheers)

Awkay, I've been on a computer WAY too long, so I've gotta start tuning off. But first, **PLEASE** do leave a review! Awww, c'mon, by now you've gotta know how much I appreciate them. (gives irresistible puppy dog eyes)

In the next one (if that's something you want, of course): The action part of the story starts, leading both Naruto and Sasuke to make some big decisions. The revolution moves, as does Madara…

Aaand that would be all for today, folks. (grins)

Bye for now!


	5. The Storm Arises

A/N: GAH! I'm so, SO sorry it's taken me this long to update, but I've been pretty swamped, exhausted and my head's been about to go 'gaboom' (still is, actually…). But now I FINALLY had some time for my precious writing work, and here's the result. (grins)

First off, of course, GOODNESS! THANK YOU, from the depths of my soul, for all those unbelievable reviews! So much love for something I've written… (sniffs, and HUGGLES) Thank you! You guys can't even imagine how precious you are. (grins) **Responses to anonymous reviews** can, as usual, be found underneath the chappy, un.

Awkay, before I get all sappy… This chappy ended up involving a plotwist I did NOT expect coming, and I hope it doesn't tick ya off too badly. (gulps) BUT, without anything further… Let's rock!

I REALLY hope this turns out worth the wait.

* * *

**PHASE FIVE: The Storm Arises**

* * *

_**Five Days Later.**_

* * *

Flashbacks of what he'd once been through in Orochimaru's hands filled Sasuke's head while he lay on a table in the hospital, anxiously waiting for the examination to be over with so he'd get to leave and preferably never come back.

" Okay, now hold absolutely still and this will all be over with in a matter of moments, okay?" Sakura's voice sounded extremely irritating, but he had a feeling it had nothing to do with the girl. " This won't hurt."

True enough it didn't hurt, but he shivered nonetheless when coldness he couldn't even begin to describe coursed through him, finally centering into his stomach.

It seemed to take forever before the odd, disturbing sensation disappeared and Sakura spoke again. " Okay, it's all over now. You can get up and put your shirt on."

He didn't hesitate a second before obeying, jumping up from the table with eagerness he'd never experienced before. Apparently he was too hasty. He gave a tiny growl when his vision swayed just a little bit, and his feet buckled for a moment – sending him straight into the arms of Naruto, who'd moved so fast it surprised him.

A hot, nearly breath catching flash he immediately blamed on raging hormones went through him from head to toe, and without him even noticing it his fingers tightened on the fabric of the Uzumaki's clothes until his knuckles turned white.

He wondered if it was a blush he saw on Naruto's face. " Are… you okay?" Why did the boy's voice sound so off, anyway?

And why did he find it so hard to breathe? " Hn."

It took several – in his opinion far too many – moments, but eventually they broke apart, trying their hardest to act like nothing had ever happened.

" So…" Naruto cleared his throat, turning towards Sakura. " What's up?"

Sasuke didn't know what he'd been expecting, but his chest nonetheless contorted painfully when he saw the look on the pinkette's face. " I… I think you should sit down."

Naruto and he did as ordered, like a couple of five-year-olds who were about to get a full flexed lecture.

The look in Sakura's eyes was such that made breath catch into his throat. " What?" He didn't mean to sound quite so harsh, but for some reason his tone was that of a threatened beast's. " What the hell is going on?"

She swallowed thickly and blinked hard, obviously fighting tears. " It… There really was something, right behind the baby."

Once more he felt utterly cold, and instinctively placed a protective hand to his stomach.

So what the hell was it this time? Was there something even more twisted in him he hadn't known of?

" What?" He'd never heard Naruto's tone quite as scared as it was then. The blond seemed to be trembling, both hands squeezing his chair as tightly as possible. " Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

He was fairly sure it was a sob that escaped Sakura right before her voice agreed to work. " It looks like… like there was also another baby."

Whereas Naruto's eyes widened and the blond seemed ready to collapse, Sasuke's ears only caught one word. " Was?" Why did that sound so bad, so ominous?

Sakura took two ragged breaths before the next words finally willed their way out. " I… I'm so sorry, but… The second baby wasn't alive anymore." She took a deep breath. " I'm… pretty sure it never even had the chance, not that it would make this any better."

No, Sasuke realized with some confusion. It did not make things better, didn't make the heavy feeling that'd settled to his chest and stomach ease the slightest.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do – shrug, scream or vomit – but all whirring thoughts got stuck in an instant when he heard a tiny, nearly animalistic noise. After a moment he realized that it'd came from Naruto, and looked towards the boy with some confusion. It aroused a lot more than he would've liked to admit to see the tears welled in those blue eyes, one of them eventually pooling over.

For some reason, although he would've never admitted it, that sight almost made him feel like crying himself.

* * *

Sakura had never been much of an actor, and she was particularly bad at pretending everything was all right when there was something weighting her mind. And that day – after giving Naruto and Sasuke such news, and seeing the effect (although Sasuke would've _never_ admitted feeling a thing) – she would've just wanted to scream or do something as unhelpful. Instead, however, she found herself taking care of Tsunade, who was slowly getting back to her feet after several long weeks in bed.

She already thought she did a good job with pretending – that was until Tsunade spoke while she helped the woman back to the bed, and the blonde looked directly into her eyes just when her thoughts strayed. " What's wrong?"

She immediately blinked several times, barely daring to meet the former village leader's eyes. " N – Nothing. Why do you ask?" She wished she'd sounded more convincing.

The look on Tsunade's face stated just how little the woman believed her. " You've barely spoken during the past two hours, and even now you look ready to cry. So what is it?"

For the longest moment she thought about denying all – she doubted Naruto and Sasuke would've wanted anyone else than those who knew already to find out. But… Now things had gone _this_ far, and as Sasuke's due to date approached the risks would most likely escalate. The boys would definitely need someone who wasn't a minor as their help, and furthermore someone who was such a skilled medic. And that's why…

She swallowed thickly, wishing that she was doing the right thing. " There's… something you should probably know, for Naruto and Sasuke's sake…"

* * *

That evening was unusually quiet in Naruto's house as both he and Sasuke tried their hardest to accept the news they'd recently received, to come to grips with what they'd just lost.

Hard as he tried, Naruto couldn't get Sakura's voice out of his head. Those simple yet destructive words reiterated over and over again, nearly enough to drive him insane.

/ _" I… I'm so sorry."_ /

That echo, however, wasn't the worst part. What aggravated him the most was Sasuke.

Since they'd come home from the hospital the raven had been… _nothing_, really. The Uchiha had gone through the usual daily motions with a perfectly even expression, as though nothing in particular had ever happened.

Something had died inside Sasuke. Couldn't the Uchiha sense the loss?!

In the end it all became just too much for him. He could tell his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears when he confronted the raven, who was currently stood before a window with a somewhat nonchalant expression. " Sasuke… Are you honestly okay with…?" He gestured towards the Uchiha's practically invisible bump. " … this?"

Sasuke's eyes moved slowly towards him, and it took a couple of moments before the boy spoke. " Why is that so important to you?"

He felt a flare. " Because you're supposed to feel at least something – it was your baby, too!"

Onyx eyes flashed somewhat dangerously when meeting his. " What the hell do you want from me? Do you want to break down, is that it?" With that the boy turned around. " I'm going for a walk."

" We lost a child, Sasuke!" he all but cried out, feeling almost as helpless as he had the day the raven had left for Orochimaru. That emotion grew even still when the only response Sasuke gave was stiffening. " One… One of our babies is dead! Don't… Don't you feel, anything at all?"

He kept staring at Sasuke's posture, desperate to catch at least the slightest hint of something. The Uchiha, however, started to march towards the apartment's window as though it'd been a sanctuary of some sort.

He refused to wipe away the one tear that rolled when Sasuke disappeared without making a sound.

* * *

Sasuke's steps were sharp while he entered an abandoned, halfway-destroyed building nearby the edge of Konoha, not bothering to add light although he could barely see. Usually he might've wondered if the guards or someone else had seen him outside, but at the moment his head was filled with something else entirely.

/ _" Don't you feel, anything at all?"_ /

His eyes narrowed at those words, and his fists formed tight, slightly trembling balls.

" You're late." Fortunately Hiashi Hyuuga's voice offered some distraction. The man was looking at him with impatient eyes. " I thought we were supposed to meet an hour ago."

His eyes almost turned red with what ran through him like an electric jolt. " I was delayed." He then folded his arms and lifted his chin a bit, his eyes moving to side ever so slightly. " Is everything going according to the plan?"

" Seems so", Suigetsu stated while inspecting his weapons, ignoring the suspicious looks darted his way. " Our contact in the Hokage's office messaged that it's safe to make the next move."  
" I'd prefer it to be as soon as possible." Karin – who'd just stepped out of the shadows, startling some of the men around her – seemed and sounded restless. It was obvious that this long wait with nothing exciting to do was driving her insane. " The longer we wait the more dangerous this game gets. We've gotta move."

Sasuke nodded sharply. " Waiting this long has already been a risk enough – we can't keep playing around any longer." His eyes moved around, scanning through the nervous faces of the men who'd responded to his call. " How long will it take before you'll be ready?"

Hiashi folded his arms, pale eyes almost smoldering. " This is a huge operation with a lot of great risks. We need to be well prepared." Seeing his look, the man went on. " Give us three weeks."

This statement immediately aroused a storm of nervous murmurs – apparently the men hadn't thought about the actual day when they'd have to rise against their own village before this.

A flash of Sharingan was enough to silence them, especially with the intensity of Sasuke's glare. " Did you all hear that? In about three weeks we'll strike at midnight." His voice was grim, far tighter and darker than his usual. " After that there'll be nothing left of Konoha's so called new leaders."

-

In their mental turmoil they all missed the faintest trace of a shadow in the furthest edge of the huge building. The look on Zetsu's face wasn't a happy one.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't a particularly patient person, but especially during the time she'd spent as a Hokage she'd learned the fine art of waiting, and she'd eventually accepted that people wouldn't operate before they'd be ready for it – especially people like Naruto Uzumaki. That evening her nearly torturous waiting game finally paid off when the boy arrived, having been called by Sakura.

The first thing she noted when Naruto entered the tiny room was that the blond looked remarkably good, especially considering everything he'd been put through during the past months. Although he seemed tired and unusually thoughtful, there was also a certain new glow to him, and it was easy to tell what'd caused it.

She had hard time keeping herself from smiling. " So it takes an official order to make you appear."

The blond grinned sheepishly and scratched his head, and she could see an unmistakable hint of guilt in his eyes. " 'Sorry, I just… I've been a bit busy."

She fought the urge to snort.

_Yeah, I bet…_

She then folded her arms and bit back a sigh, knowing that they'd need to have this conversation eventually. " Naruto, sit down. I think we need to talk – about the baby."

Naruto's eyes widened dramatically. " I… Sakura-chan wasn't supposed to tell you!"

She shrugged. " I fished the information out of her." Her eyes then hardened, although she knew the boy wouldn't have deserved pushing. This _needed_ to be done. " Now, that talk…"

-

Before gathering his courage and coming to see Tsunade as Sakura had asked him to do, Naruto had thought the worst part would be seeing how weak the woman still was, to find how tired even the simplest tasks made her – and knowing it was because she'd protected him. He discovered that he'd been badly mistaken. For the absolutely worst part was answering all the woman's questions.

He managed to remain strong at first – when she asked him some details, and inquired if the second baby was all right. But the moment she looked at him in the eyes and asked if _he_ was okay all strength was struck from his legs and he slumped into the nearest chair, coming dangerously close to gasping when it felt like all breath had been sucked from him. Hotness filled his eyes although tears didn't come and he let absolutely everything out in an unstoppable flow.

" And… And Sasuke… I don't think he even gets what's going on." He took a deep, shuddering breath, almost ridiculously relieved that tears still stayed at bay. " He… He doesn't want to talk about what's happened, he doesn't even want to admit the whole bloody thing. It's… It's like he wouldn't even care." He shook his head, feeling confused and even hurt although he knew it to be pointless. " I just… I'd want him to _react_. That child was his baby, too."

-

Watching the confused boy, who was obviously much too young for something like this, Tsunade felt something inside her come close to crackling.

At first she'd thought about giving him a lecture for hiding something like this, but now…

" Naruto." Her voice was firm, yet carried something so soft that the boy looked up at her with something close to puzzlement. She couldn't tell what the look in her eyes was like, nor did it matter much. " I understand you, I really do. But I think you know Sasuke well enough to understand that he needs time. He's got a long way to go before he comes to terms with all this."

Naruto's eyes strayed downwards, shimmering in a way that aroused her suspicion. " Yeah… I guess I get that…" He wasn't happy with it, though.

For a couple of short moments it was silent, until she came to a conclusion that she'd have to go on. " You know… Somehow I think you haven't exactly dealt with your own emotions yet, either. You've been so focused on Sasuke that you've forgotten about yourself." It'd been like that for over three years already, actually. " Let it all out, Naruto. You know it'll make you feel better."

At first the boy simply stared at her with dumbfounded eyes, but in the end the crackling started. First one tear rolled, then the second.

The damn had been broken.

-

Naruto spent most of that night out. When he went back to his apartment, he and Sasuke found it possible to breathe around each other again.

* * *

A couple of days later Sasuke was once more in the hospital.

According to Sakura it was crucial to get the dead baby out before it'd become a threat to the one that'd survived. And so – after a lot of fighting from the Uchiha – they managed to come up with a plan. He didn't want to be put to sleep – it would've aroused too many bad memories – so, against Naruto and Sakura's reasoning, he chose to go through the procedure with only Sakura's skills and local anesthesia as his help.

Although he would've never admitted it out loud his heart thumped while he lay rather helplessly on a table, waiting for the operation to start.

Sakura had been forced to ask for two young medics to assist her. Sasuke would've been much happier with no outsiders in the room, although it would've meant more danger. He couldn't afford the news of his… condition to spread, especially with the plans he was making.

He managed to distract himself so well with those thoughts that he was surprised when Sakura spoke all of a sudden, her voice and eyes so nervous that it made him feel uncomfortable. " Are you still absolutely sure about this?"

His eyes flashed dangerously, although his heart moved with doubt. " I'm not going to start backing out now", he growled. " Just get over with this, will you?" _Before I change my mind._

He shivered when feeling a glowed hand slipping into his, holding on although both hands trembled a little. " It's… It's going to be okay, Sasuke." If Naruto (who'd practically invited himself along) honestly believed that, the blond seemed oddly teary. Despite the mask on the boy's face he could see and hear a loud gulp. " I'll be right here."

In silence, he wondered if that was a good or a bad thing – honestly, it would've been far easier to deal with, or perhaps hide, all there was raging inside him without those blue eyes fixed so firmly on his face.

Hard as he tried, the only response he could summon was a silent, feeble " Hn". Had he been a little more focused, he might've noticed how his hand twitched around Naruto's, as though begging for a firmer hold. The Uzumaki's grip tightened obediently.

" Alright, then." Sakura sounded so nervous that he chose not to look towards the girl – he didn't want his heart to hammer any faster than it did already. " We're getting started now, okay? If you feel uncomfortable at any point of the operation you need to tell us immediately."

He felt like screaming out loud in an instant, and chose to grit his teeth hard.

The operation seemed to last forever, and for several times his vision blurred so badly that he wondered if he lost consciousness. At one point he was almost sure he heard Itachi's voice asking him to wake up, which was a very disturbing experience that left him gasping and feeling something hot in his eyes for several moments.

Eventually, however, Sakura was hovering above him. Judging by the look in her eyes, he was relieved he couldn't see her expression properly. " It's… The operation is over now." Her voice was thick with something he couldn't recognize. She seemed to swallow. " Are you in any pain?"

He wondered how to answer that question – in all honesty he had no idea how he felt anymore. In the end he shook his head so weakly that it infuriated him.

After Sakura's nod it was silent for so long that he shivered as though he'd been just dozing off when the quiet was disturbed. " Sakura-chan." Hearing Naruto's voice again surprised him – the blond had barely spoken that day. Once more blue eyes carried something that looked suspiciously lot like unshed tears. " Which… Which gender would the baby have been?"

At first Sakura looked at the boy with something close to disbelief, then seemed to understand. Sadness filled her eyes. " It's pretty early to tell for sure, but… If I have to guess, I'd say a girl."

Naruto shuddered in a way he'd never seen before – as though a weapon of some sort had hit the blond – and there was a tiny, wounded sound that might've as well been his imagination. It was clear to anyone just how much pain the Uzumaki was in.

He, on the other hand, couldn't feel a thing – physically or emotionally. It felt like someone had sucked him dry; he was hollow, lost even, someone might've said.

How the hell was he supposed to feel and react in this situation, anyway, he wondered.

" Sasuke?" Sakura's voice sounded as sharp as he knew the blade that'd just cut his skin to be. " Sasuke, are you still with us?"

He felt a light touch on his cheek, and for whatever the reason only his pride kept him from leaning against it. It felt so cool and good against his warm skin… " C'mon, open your eyes", Naruto urged in a voice that carried a hint of what sounded like worry.

Odd. He hadn't noticed he'd closed his eyes.

Very slowly, as though unwillingly, he inched his eyelids halfway open. First his gaze locked to the roof (someone should really do something about it – for the roof of a hospital it was _filthy_), then moved to Naruto (when had the boy cried _that_ much?), and finally fixed on Sakura, or rather what she was doing.

At that moment, although he barely noticed it, something inside him simply stopped and broke.

For some reason as he watched Sakura's gentle hands wrap something he couldn't see from his position to a tiny white sheet of fabric, Sasuke found it almost impossible not to cry. He'd never felt the kind of pain that attacked his chest then, and if it wasn't for Naruto holding his hand he might've gone as far as started to scream.

* * *

That night, no matter how hard he tried, Sasuke didn't find it from him to sleep in one of the hospital's rooms. Whenever he did this pain he couldn't explain and that had nothing to do with the operation appeared, nearly strong enough to drive him out of his mind.

He felt sad, confused, betrayed and furious, although he couldn't explain those emotions. After all he'd never cared about the baby, had he?

He was just so sick and tired of all this crap.

Just then _the thing_ chose to give a rather harsh kick, as though to remind him that there was still something alive in his stomach. He moaned a little at the pain that followed and brought a hand above the ache, justifying his actions with the knowledge that no one was there to witness then.

Soon enough, however, he discovered that he might not have been as alone as he'd thought. The faintest sounds of movement made him stiffen. " Hey." That voice was definitely Naruto's. Despite the room's dim light he could see the boy approaching with a somewhat hesitant look in those blue eyes. " I… wasn't sure if I should come. Sakura-chan said you might feel tired."

He looked away, not wanting the other to see his face. " Hn. I'm not tired." For some reason he felt a childish need to deny such a sign of weakness.

Naruto, apparently, wasn't about to stop pestering him just yet. There was a dip as the boy sat to his bedside. " Then how do you feel?"

He rolled his eyes, although it came out halfheartedly. " Like I'm going to punch you if you keep asking pointless questions."

Naruto snorted. " Teme." The boy's whole presence then seemed to change, darken. " It's… It's okay to be sad, Sasuke."

He narrowed his eyes that stung for some reason, and grit his teeth. Why the heck was Naruto purposely making this even harder? What the hell was he supposed to feel to make the blond happy?

" Shut up." He was surprised to discover that the pathetically weak near-whimper came from him, and was disturbed by the intensity of what was swelling in his chest. " I don't want to talk about any of this."

He expected Naruto to press forth, which was why he shivered slightly with surprise when instead of putting up a fight the blond wrapped a pair of arms around him and pulled him close. He thought about fighting back for a couple of seconds, but in the end didn't find the will and strength.

To hell with pride – he was sick of it already.

-

Naruto didn't know what to do while he held Sasuke in his arms, his mind spinning a million miles per hour.

What the heck were they going to do now? How…?

Just then his thoughts were cut abruptly by a sensation of movement. He frowned, his jumbled head not managing to comprehend why Sasuke was twitching in such a way. " Sasu…?"

He never made it to the finish before a nearly animalistic hiss cut him short. " Shut it."

At that razor sharp moment he understood better than well, and didn't hesitate doing as ordered.

When Sasuke rested his head against his shoulder, he was modest enough not to look at the boy's face to see if the other had finally released all locked back emotions.

After what must've been at least half an hour the raven was finally still. Ten minutes later he finally dared to speak. " Do you… think you can walk?"

Sasuke held his quiet for a moment. " Why?"

He swallowed a little. " Because there's somewhere I want to take you."

* * *

Sasuke didn't know what he'd been expecting, but he nonetheless shuddered when Naruto led him to an extremely beautiful meadow in the woods, where he found a tiny cross and a somewhat teary faced Sakura holding something tiny wrapped to a white sheet of fabric.

" We… We should've buried her hours ago", Naruto all but breathed out. " But… I wanted you to be here, too – I figured you needed to be here."

His eyes narrowed against a searing sensation he could barely stand, and his fists balled while he absolutely froze, far from ready to face the storm that rose somewhere around his chest. " What… the hell makes you think I'd want to see _this_?"

Naruto's eyes shimmered in the moonlight. " Because I know you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you don't say goodbye to her."

His eyes narrowed again, and his mouth opened for a heated argument, but in the end no words willed their way out. Instead he forced himself to look at the tiny bungle in Sakura's trembling hands while she – following Naruto's feeble nod – knelt down slowly and placed the cargo to a hole on the ground he hadn't noticed before. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't rip his gaze from the carefully covered bundle, not even after it'd disappeared from his sight.

_The thing_, _the parasite_, had never felt this real, and although he wouldn't have wanted to admit such a thought it scared him almost more than the feelings waking up inside him.

Sakura spoke something – he knew this only based on the fact that her lips moved, because he couldn't hear a thing or focus – and at that exact moment Naruto grabbed his hand so tightly that it actually hurt. He didn't dare to meet the blond's face in fear of it making the last of his barriers break painfully. At some point, although he didn't notice it, he started to tremble uncontrollably, and his knees barely supported his weight.

The only thing he actually did hear during the strange ceremony was Naruto's barely audible whisper. " … Aiko …"

He shuddered at that, although he didn't know why.

' _Beloved one_.'

When there was a determined, almost frantic kick in his stomach while he closed his eyes to spare himself he found it almost impossible to call the being inside 'a thing' anymore, though he would've much rather not admitted it

He was almost pathetically happy that a rain shower decided to appear just then.

A crow sitting in a nearby tree gave a sound he would've very much liked to produce, although he didn't know why.

-

The following night, which they spent together, was long and dark. When they woke up to the rays of the next morning – pretending being asleep – they both had a feeling that things would never be the same between them again.

* * *

**_Three Weeks Later._**

* * *

It'd been several almost painfully long weeks, and Naruto still hadn't been allowed to meet Iruka. And slowly, although he tried to tell himself that he was okay with the mere knowledge that the man was all right, being without his most important still living adult started to get to him.

That very early morning he and Sasuke sat on a rooftop nearby the brunette's new home, watching how the man – who was alone for once – sat in a garden, reading or trying to read a book of some sort. This had become a routine of some sort to them, but today something felt different.

After what must've been half an hour of silence Sasuke finally spoke. " Dobe, you can't keep torturing yourself." Onyx eyes looked firmly towards him. " Just go to him."

He frowned, feeling almost scared for some reason. " But… What if I…?"

Sasuke swatted his head extremely gently. " Just go already – I'm sick of seeing that look on your face", the boy barked out. Seeing his expression, the boy went on. " You won't do any harm, okay? So go, before you drive us both insane." The boy then seemed to shiver a little under what looked a lot like nausea. " I better get going, too."

Despite the mixed feelings roaming around underneath his skin he just had to smile a little bit. It was very hard not to touch the Uchiha. " Thanks. I'll see you in a bit."  
Sasuke nodded, then – muttering something that sounded like 'dobe' – took off towards the direction of his house.

Once the raven had left Naruto stood still for about three minutes until he took a deep breath and collected himself.

He'd need to do this eventually anyway, right?

-

When Iruka became alarmed by strange sounds every single one of his muscles stiffened, and for some reason his first instinct was to pull out a weapon of some sort. Seeing that he didn't have anything such he merely looked around with somewhat flaming eyes, preparing himself for _anything_.

He expected to find an enemy of some sort, to meet a threat. That's why he blinked with surprise when instead facing a teenage boy with blond hair and blue eyes, who was approaching him with slow steps.

Before he could speak or react in any way whatsoever the teen gave him an extremely sheepish smile. " 'Sorry. I was just… walking around." The boy then managed to gather himself, it seemed. " I'm Naruto, the great Uzumaki Naruto."

He blinked several times, for some reason having the strangest feeling that he'd seen this kid before. Sakura had told him he'd been a teacher – perhaps this blond was one of his students? Very soon, however, the tears the teen was trying to hold back got under his skin and he frowned, feeling something he recognized as worry swelling. " What's wrong?"

The boy simply shook his head, the new smile forming seeming genuine enough. " Nah, it's nothing." The blond then took a look at the book in his hands. " Want some help?"

Rather slowly, feeling somewhat surprised and confused, he nodded, and Naruto sat down next to him.

They spent the upcoming three hours together.

* * *

When coming back home, Naruto couldn't help smiling at what he found.

Sasuke – apparently having thought he'd be able to finish what he'd been doing before Naruto would come back home – had fallen asleep on the couch. That sight, albeit extremely adorable, wasn't what made him smile, though. What truly got to him was the thing in the raven's hold.

It was one of those books about pregnancy and babies he'd bought weeks ago – such the Uchiha had so stubbornly sworn to never touch.

A grin that could almost be called victorious rose to his face.

_I knew he wouldn't be able to fight it forever._

Waking the Uchiha was a cruel thing to do, but he just couldn't hold himself back. His steps made barely a sound while he walked up to the boy and – knowing much too well how great danger he was putting himself into – ran his hand gently down the pale cheek. " Hey, Sleepyhead, your muscles are going to be sore if you sleep there."

It took a couple of moments, but eventually Sasuke's eyelids first twitched, then opened halfway. The raven half glared at him. " What… are you doing?"

He smiled a bit and touched the other again, never noticing that his brush didn't meet violent resistance. " You fell asleep", he explained, his tone far softer than he'd expected. He snatched the book from the Uchiha before it could be hidden and showed it to the boy. " With this."

For just a moment he could've sworn he saw surprise on Sasuke's face, but it disappeared with a snort. " Hn. I just wanted to see what you've been fussing about."

Naruto just couldn't hold back a smile, although he knew it could've turned out to be dangerous with the raven's constantly worsening mood swings. " There's nothing bad about getting a little bit excited about all this, you know?" In the end he even went as far as giving the boy's forehead a tiny peck, to which the Uchiha responded with a slap to the top of his head.

Sasuke gave him a rather dry look, appearing almost embarrassed. " Hn." Just then the raven's face blanched, and the boy got up so fast that he staggered two steps backwards. " You're damn lucky I've gotta go, idiot."

His heart, he realized, was thumping while he watched the raven go. Because at that moment his eyes were finally wide open to see what'd probably been out in the open for a very long time already.

Because at that moment he was finally able to name the feeling that'd been swelling steadily inside him since Sasuke's return, since that fateful night in the forest.

And he didn't have the slightest clue of what to do with it.

* * *

In the meantime one of Danzou's newest bodyguards, a rather young man called Tiko – with always unruly, painfully overgrown dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes – blinked twice when stepping out of the new Hokage's office.

Right outside, leaning against the hallway's wall, stood a rather attractive girl with what he considered an appealing outfit, unevenly cut hair, eyeglasses and sharp eyes that seemed alerted.

He'd never been called overly intelligent, but he figured this girl was worth taking a chance or two. And that's why he approached with a nauseatingly haughty smirk. " Hey there, Princess", he greeted in a voice that would've made pretty much anyone shiver with revulsion. " Are you lost, or something?"

The moment the girl looked at him from above her glasses, her chin lowered just a little bit and blinking twice, he knew he was a goner. " I was looking for the library", she explained in a sweet voice he was a fool enough not to question. " But… I'm afraid I took the wrong turn." So occupied he was, that he didn't notice that right behind his back someone sneaked into the Hokage's office he was supposed to guard.

That smirk from before taking place again (_This girl is just too easy!_), he approached even still, laying a hand on her shoulder, going dangerously close to touching her chest. " Well, then…", he all but purred, like a predator dancing around a easy prey. " Would you give me the pleasure of showing you the way?"

The smile she gave, no matter how devious it was, blinded him so that he didn't even notice how light flashed on the needle she pulled. " Really? Would you do that for me?" When she wrapped her arms around him, all his guards dropped. " Thank you!"

Blushing radiantly, he didn't notice how her hand moved until the needle pierced the skin of his neck and he fell.

-

Karin shivered with disgust while watching the boy fall. " Thank god", she groaned, shivering again and coming close to gagging. " I thought I'd throw up before I'd get him close enough." Her eyes then moved when Suigetsu emerged from the office. " Well?"

The boy grinned a bit. " I got the job done." He then glanced towards the unconscious guard. " And you got all the fun."

Yet again she shivered, and would've punched her so-called teammate if they'd had the time. " Let's just get the hell out of here. I'm already feeling sick to my stomach."

* * *

As midnight started to approach, Danzou was all but fidgeting while stood in his office. " So… Today's the day", he muttered, not liking those words the slightest bit.

" That's right." Madara's eyes swept towards him, he could tell even with the man's mask. " Are your men and those I gave to your disposal ready?"

He nodded rather sharply, looking away from the man. The other's company was becoming a little bit too much for him. " Everything's ready." That didn't mean _he_ would've been ready, though. " No one suspects a thing."

" Good." Madara folded his arms, like a beast of some sort preparing for the final attack. " Now… I'd like to have the reward we've discussed. Otherwise there'll be consequences – you do understand that, no?"

His eyes flashed while they turned towards the night, where candles had yet again been lit, far more of them than the last time around. The time had definitely arrived. " Don't worry. I know the perfect way to get you what you want."

" Good." The noises coming from the hallway started to grow louder, making Madara get up slowly. " Now, I should probably go before this little deal of ours becomes revealed." The man waved a rather casual hand. " I'll see you later."

As soon as the man was gone and he'd spent several moments trying to catch his slightly wheezing breath he brought a hand to a device placed by his right ear, trembling once again. " Move – now", was the only command he gave before cutting the connection.

About five minutes later his gaze strayed to a bottle placed to his office table. He didn't hesitate grabbing it – all he wondered was if the substance was strong enough.

-

Not all that far away, Karin's hand flew from her ear and her eyes flashed once more, all she'd just heard sinking in.

She'd need to tell Sasuke about this, right away. She just hoped it wasn't too late already…

* * *

In the meantime Sasuke stood beside already sleeping Naruto, his eyes several shades darker than usual. After many still moments his gaze strayed to the mug sitting on the blond's bedside table, to the slight hint of green substance the boy hadn't noticed.

The powder he'd given Naruto, smeared to the boy's mug when the other hadn't noticed – a mixture he'd learned in Orochimaru's lair – wasn't strong or dangerous, only enough to make the boy sleep for a while. It was enough to convince anyone that the Uzumaki wouldn't have been able to stop him from doing _this_, which – sadly, perhaps – was the truth.

_Nothing_ could've stood on his way that night, not even what was currently kicking furiously in his stomach, as though trying to tell him something.

After looking at Naruto for a while he finally understood that he'd need to make his decision, the final, sealing move. And so, closing his eyes, he leaned down – almost like such a long time ago when he'd headed after Orochimaru. He didn't leave without words of parting.

' Thank you', he'd once said to Sakura. This time he chose different words.

In his sleep Naruto frowned and twitched ever so slightly, as though sensing, but didn't wake up or open his eyes.

Turning around was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but that's what Sasuke did.

He'd never once looked over his shoulder, no matter how huge the mistakes he'd made had been. And he didn't do so this time, either.

Not another sound was made while he left the room through a window, leaving a cool breeze of night air as his final 'goodbye'.

By the time he reached the abandoned warehouse that'd become the base of his so-called new comrades pretty much everyone was already waiting for him.

Hiashi Hyuuga took one look at his expression and arched an eyebrow. " Is something wrong?"

He didn't bother responding, instead activated his Sharingan. " Let's just get started." His gaze swept towards Suigetsu and Juugo. " You two know what to do, right?"

The teens nodded and he turned around, satisfied with the response.

" Hey!" one of the men behind him shouted, apparently not pleased with him walking away. " Where the hell are you going?!"

His eyes flashed hazardously. " You, stick to the plan. I'm going after the grand price…"

* * *

There were several occasions in his life when Danzou had felt nervous and hesitant. That night, while sipping a rather generous dosage of strong alcohol the name of which he couldn't remember, he realized that he was trembling worse than ever before.

_Everything_ – his position, his very life – was at stake tonight.

Madara's plan had better work, or…

" I thought I'd find you here." Nothing would've prepared him for what hearing Sasuke's voice – so clear, so nearby – woke up inside him. He didn't dare to turn around while there was a sound of approaching steps. " You're making this almost too easy."

His eyes flashed with something he couldn't name – rage or terror, perhaps – and his hand tightened around the glass he was holding. " What… the hell do you want from me?"

One of his hands moved – only to become stopped by a flying blade that cut a shallow wound on its way. " The next one hits you." That came scarily evenly. " I think you know exactly what I've come for. But first, I want you to live to see your… kingdom fall."

* * *

About ten minutes later Naruto, defying the drug given to him, woke up with a loud gasp, feeling foreign tightness in his chest. " Sasuke…!"

Something _bad_ was going on, he was sure of it. He could _feel _it.

Rather quickly – which made him feel dizzy – he turned his gaze towards the mug still sitting on his bedside table. His eyes darkened when he saw the traces of a foreign substance he hadn't noticed before. Although his head was still a little bit hazy he understood. " That damn moron…"

What the hell had the Uchiha done?! What was going on?

Due to his state and the newest shock it wasn't until someone moved did he realize he wasn't alone in the room. Before he could do more than shiver something sharp was placed against his throat. " This drug will bind all your Chakra and knock you out, making you defenseless", an unfamiliar male voice told into his ear, perfectly even. " It also makes you almost unbearably queasy for two days – trust me, I know. So _don't_ make me use this, Uzumaki."

His eyes narrowed. " Who the fuck are you?"

" That, we can discuss later." The sharpness was pressed tighter, almost enough so to bring harm. " Right now I want you to come with me if your well being is precious to you."

* * *

TBC, doesn't it?

* * *

A/N: Awkay… (sniff) This chapter… turned out to be longer and different from what I expected. And sadder, too. (sniffs again) I hope that doesn't mean I messed up…? (gulps, then glances hopefully)

So… Sasuke's, what, five months along, and the revolution just started. And, to top that, one of the twins was lost. (sniffs) What's gonna happen now?

Heh, I've got ridiculously little time with my computer left, so I've gotta start tuning out now. **PLEASE**, leave a review before taking off! It'd REALLY mean a lot to me, ya know? (gives irresistible puppy's eyes)

In the next one (heh, as always, if you want one): The action thickens, and Sasuke makes a decision. Naruto finds himself from… somewhere bizarre…

Oh yeah, and **VOTING TIME**. I've got some ideas of my own, but I'd also like to know yours, so… Which gender do you think the baby should be – a lil' rascal like his parents, or a little princess with a backbone? It's your call, so do vote! (grins)

'Til laters folks! 'Hope ya'll be stopping by again!

Peace out!

* * *

**Azh Hikari**: The chappy made you emotionally confused? Heh, no wonder with everything there's building up! (sweatdrops) I'm so glad to hear you don't consider that a bad thing. (grins)

Monumental thank yous for the review! 'Hope you'll stay tuned.


	6. The Things That Matter

A/N: GAH! I'm so, so sorry about this inexcusably long delay. (winces) I've just had a very, very crappy week or two, and my inspiration to write reduced to zero for a long time, so my keyboard hasn't exactly been smoking lately (which is so not cool, because writing is THE BEST form of therapy). (groans and winces again) BUT, at least I managed to pop out a new chappy now – HOORAY! (grins and cheers a little)

Ah, first things first! My GOODNESS, you guys are absolutely incredible – just take a look at that amount of reviews! (gasps, and GLOMPS, then showers with special treats) You're absolutely AMAZING, and you've made these couple of weeks MUCH more bearable, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! (hugs again)

Awkay, because I've already kept you waiting WAY too long, I think it's time to rock, un. (grins and rubs hands together) Heh, to be honest I'm DEFINITELY not sure about this chappy – my confidence isn't exactly at its highest peak right now. I truly hope you'll have a pleasant ride, anyway! (glances hopefully)

* * *

**PHASE SIX: The Things That Matter**

* * *

When sensing Sasuke stood right behind him, Danzou did what pretty much every other person would do with their life threatened. He tried to fight. And for a moment – despite his age and the fact that he hadn't fought for a long time – he did remarkably well; after all, he'd once been a formidable ninja. But then, just like almost everyone would've known to expect, Sasuke overpowered him embarrassingly easily.

He gasped before managing to speak when he was hurled against the wall with a knife of some sort pressed against his throat. Although it required a lot of courage he met the boy's eyes, chilled by the sea of red and black. " What… are you doing?"

Black spun even more violently inside red, responding to the Uchiha's changing mood. " You… butchered my family", the boy all but hissed, pressing the blade tighter. " My father, my mother… Because of you, Itachi was forced to do all those sick things, leave behind everything he loved. It's because of you I had to kill my own brother!" The raven breathed hard three times before managing to speak. " So what the hell do you think I'm doing?"

* * *

Naruto's first sensation when waking up was the oddest, groggy feeling – like a blanket of some sort had been wrapped around his brain. Then he started to catch on when something that could've been a dream or a memory floated in.

_" Sorry about this."_

His eyes flew open, and he got up much faster than his head would've found reasonable. Just when dizziness was about to push him back down a rather rough hand showed up to support him. " Geez, take it easy, will you? Sasuke's gonna have our heads if you get yourself hurt."

He blinked twice at that, the dizziness he'd been feeling starting to subside. " Sasuke…!" His eyes darted around rather frantically, first taking in the cave like room around him, then fixing to a boy who'd appeared out of nowhere it seemed. His eyebrows furrowed while he tried to will himself to move, to attack or do _anything_. " Who the hell are you? Why did you…?!"

The boy winced a little, pale eyes filling with something close to irritation, and groaned while slapping a hand to his mouth, effectively silencing him. " Sasuke warned us you'd be loud." Once his expression told that he wouldn't start screaming, the boy took his hand away. " I'm Suigetsu, one of Sasuke's new… teammates, I guess." The boy's eyes turned towards the room's corner, where he saw another, much taller boy sitting, looking at them. " And that guy brooding in the corner is Juugo, another addition to our merry group." The other gave him a moment to absorb this information before going on. " There's… a lot going on in Konoha right now. Sasuke told us to make sure you're safe."

He blinked several times, this all going over his head. Sasuke… He'd done _this_ to keep him safe? " So… you're saying that Sasuke… That he…" Just then a shiver of dread washed over him, and he cast a somewhat frantic look towards the boy before him. " What the hell is he doing?!" Because if the Uchiha was once again planning something stupid, he swore…

Suigetsu's expression responded before words. " Naruto… Do you trust Sasuke?"

Despite all the crap in the past, regardless of the fact that he had no idea of what was going on, he realized that he didn't have to search for the answer all that long. He looked directly to the boy's eyes and nodded. " Yeah, I do."

Suigetsu nodded, appearing pleased with this response. " Good. In that case all I can do is tell you to wait."

He wanted to wince.

Wait?

Now that was something he'd always been terrible at.

He chewed his lower lip, boiling and sizzling inside his own skin. " Hmph", was all he managed to get out despite furious attempts.

The other stayed silent for a couple of minutes – as though respecting his obvious need for silence – until speaking once more. " Do we dare to leave you alone now? Can we trust you not to do something stupid?"

He felt like a kid while nodding in a sullenly. " Yes", he muttered darkly. " You can trust me."

" Excellent." Suigetsu handed a mug full of something that smelled fishy towards him. " Now drink this, will you? Trust me, it'll make you feel better."

He had no idea why he did so – especially since he'd already been drugged once that night – but he drank despite all the screaming doubts in the back of his head. After all, he was insanely thirsty.

As soon as he was done and these two would leave him alone, he'd go after Sasuke.

-

About five minutes later Suigetsu and Juugo left the room. " Are you sure Karin's potion wasn't too strong for him?" Juugo inquired in a somewhat tight voice.

Suigetsu nodded confidently, a faraway look in his eyes. " Yup, I'm sure – with someone like him, it takes that much to keep him calm and safe. So relax, will you?"

He nodded, still not fully reassured. After a moment a concern of other kind grabbed a hold of him when he noticed Suigetsu's strange expression. " Is something wrong?" Because in this situation any extra trouble could turn fatal.

The boy shook his head with thoughtful eyes. " Nah, I… just realized something interesting, that's all." The other then rubbed his hands together, appearing slightly anxious. " Now let's go. Hopefully Sasuke and Karin will show up soon."

* * *

Back in the Hokage's office Danzou was desperately trying to gather the drunken pieces of his sanity. It was, however, a taunting task with Sasuke standing right before him, looking at him with eyes that seemed to know everything.

His eyes narrowed against the boy, the last survival he knew of a once mighty clan. " You… You've just signed your death sentence, brat", he all but spat out. " The guards… They'll come soon. I'll make sure you won't be let off the hook this time."

Sasuke's eyes revealed no change. " I doubt that", the boy stated as though it'd been the simplest thing in the entire world. It was then he finally heard it – the booming sounds of a erupting fight coming from outside as the men he'd mobilized met the Uchiha's so called troupes. " They'll be busy for a long time."

He shrugged haughtily, although his confidence was wavering. " In that case it's my duty to finish you off." _Like your brother should've all those years ago, before you became a threat._ He tried to reach out for weapons, and even managed to grab metal. " For the sake of Konoha."

Sasuke snorted. " We both know our goals have nothing to do with this village – we're not that high and noble. So you can quit that hypocrisy."

At that moment, he came to a realization that he didn't have a second to waste – if he wanted to have this finished, he'd need to move fast and as soon as possible. And that's why he found himself attacking before he could properly process what he was doing.

Of course he should've known not to underestimate Sasuke like that.

They spun around each other a couple of times – whether it was because he'd surprised the Uchiha or the boy wanted to toy with him, he'd never know – but in the end he was hurled heavily against the floor, which struck breath out of him.

Sasuke's eyes flamed when meeting his. " How hard do you want to make this?" the boy all but snarled, black spinning madly inside the red of his eyes. " Because you can't even imagine the tricks I can play with your mind."

He grit his teeth, his mind scanning through his options. In the end he realized he had none – if he'd as much as move his fingers, Sasuke would without a doubt wrap him into a nightmare he'd never get away from. His eyes narrowed. " You…", he hissed, resulting to the last of his options. " You will regret doing this, Uchiha. Because my men have orders to make that demon lowlife suffer if anything happens to me."

To his immense surprise Sasuke snorted, onyx eyes filling with something that unnerved him. " Did you think I'd be a fool enough not to realize that?" The Uchiha folded his arms. " Naruto is safe, and he'll stay that way until I give instructions of anything else. Your men won't be able to lay a hand on him."

His blood boiled, and only the fact that his drunken mind didn't allow him a chance to come up with what he should've done kept him still. " You… brat…", he snarled through tightly grit teeth, his breath hitched. " You're just as much of a pest as your fucking brother."

That, he should've never said.

He'd never seen the kind of a gleam that appeared to Sasuke's eyes just then. He barely managed to flinch before a force he could've never even imagined hit him, sending him flying backwards. He became trapped against the nearest wall with such force that caught his breath, forcing him to emit choked sounds. The Uchiha's red eyes were filled with such bloodlust he'd never seen before. " Don't… _ever_ speak of Itachi again, do you understand?" It was terrifying how much that single sentence could hold. The hold of his throat tightened still. " If you mention him again, I will snap your neck. Do you understand?"

In some other state of mind and condition he might've been able to snort, to actually fight back. But as it was, all he could do was nod, his head buzzing madly. He tried to move his hands, but it felt like a rope of some sort had been wrapped around his wrists.

Sasuke seemed to notice his struggling. The boy's eyes darkened. " Did you honestly think you'd stand a chance against my Sharingan, no matter how strong you once were? There's also… a little surprise I came up with – you could call it a life insurance." The Uchiha's eyes strayed towards the bottle he'd almost emptied before the teen's arrival. " You never once questioned where that bottle came from, did you? I'm fairly sure you didn't even taste anything foreign." (1)

His breath shuddered a little, and his head was sent spinning. Poison… _Shit…_ " How…?" How long did he have?

Sasuke looked straight to his eyes. " With how fast your heart is beating, I'd say hours."

He wasn't sure if it was the substance in his veins or those words that caused the tideway of coldness and nausea inside him.

_This is fucking unbelievable… I'm letting some _brat_ do this to me…!_

He was breathing hard, and he knew he was most likely making the poison rush even faster, but he was _not_ about to go down like this. He wasn't about to give up on everything he'd managed to accomplish! " I… won't let you take Konoha away from me!" he snarled in a nearly choked voice, adrenaline rushing madly. " I won't let you steal away what belongs to me, do you understand? I didn't get rid of your family to let the last of its members defeat me!"

This time, with Sasuke seeming oddly weary all of a sudden, they actually had a small fight, and he even had the time to grab a kunai. They circled around each other and made sounds that resembled those of struggling beasts, and at some point the scent of blood met his nose. Looking down, he noticed to his stun that he'd actually managed to make several lacerations all over the Uchiha's body, some of them even going rather deep.

_How did I do that?!_

He should've known to expect that it'd take a lot more than a few drops of blood to take Sasuke down, especially with what he'd just said. The boy's eyes smouldered while the raven straightened his form, and after a moment this strangest sensation of suffocating washed over him. It seemed to take ages before the boy spoke. " Had enough?"

Fortunately enough the sensation ended soon, and he found himself being dragged to a window, where Sasuke forced him to look at the sight below. Everywhere torches enlightened the village that'd just been sleeping, looking like soundless battle cries.

" Do you see that?" He could only imagine how much it took of Sasuke to keep his voice so even. " Right there Konoha is being torn to shreds – I bet there's blood everywhere. Soon enough there'll be no village for you to lead." He could feel the boy's eyes on him, but refused to meet them. " You're the only one who can draw the line and stop this. If you let go of your pride and give up, you may be able to spare a little bit of this cursed village. What do you do?"

His eyes narrowed. " You're not going to live through this", he hissed through tightly grit teeth, his chest moving abnormally. " No matter who's opinion you ask you're a traitor. They'll kill you for this, they'll tear you to shreds."

" We'll see about that." Sasuke sounded so calm that it unnerved him. " But at least I'll go down knowing you did so first."

At that exact moment the poison's effect grew stronger, sending him swaying until he had to lean his full weight against the wall. The screams coming from outside echoed in his ears, as though wanting to rip them apart. Dim light allowed his already darkening vision to catch several pools of crimson.

" Do you see?" Sasuke's voice was infuriatingly indifferent, or that's what it sounded like to him. " That's your legacy. That's what you managed to accomplish." Once more he felt those irritating eyes on him. " Are you sure you want to die with that?"

He didn't dignify that question with a response.

" Sweet dreams, then."

The last thing he saw before everything turned black was Sasuke jumping through the window, like some sort of a dark angel.

* * *

In the meantime Karin's heart pounded a little faster than usual while her somewhat frantic search for Sasuke continued.

If Madara and Danzou really had made a deal… Then there was no time to waste.

Her chest jolted a little with relief when she suddenly spotted movement not too far away. She knew it was dangerous to reveal her whereabouts, but at the moment she had no other choice. " Sasuke?"

But as the other turned around, all her cautious hope became shattered. For instead of Sasuke she met Kisame.

* * *

The moment Sasuke's feet hit the street he knew something unpleasant was going to happen. He wasn't mistaken.

" I was wondering when you'd show up." Madara's voice made cold shivers run down his spine. He sensed the man approach from somewhere his right. " You've started out quite a show. You've got guts, I give you that."

His eyes narrowed a little, for something he didn't like flashed through him. He more sensed the man's moves than looked at the other. " What do you want?" he all but spat out.

" Sasuke… Do you honestly think you can just stay and act like nothing's ever happened after something like this?" The man's voice was a strange, nearly chilling purring sound that made him feel uncomfortable. " You've started out a path to the destruction of pretty much everything these foolish people have believed in, just when the village was getting back to its feet." The man folded his arms, appearing so smug that it brought him shivers of revulsion. " Tonight won't be forgotten easily, and the ones responsible won't be treated kindly, regardless of the outcome. You won't be able to take care of everyone tonight. People will come after you – and Naruto."

His eyes flashed when he turned his gaze towards the man, feeling furious burning underneath his skin. Once again there was intense kicking inside him. " Why the hell are you bringing him to this?" he all but hissed, never realizing that his tone gave him away easily.

Madara didn't seem the slightest bit taken aback or surprised. " You're not as hard to read as you'd like to think." There was a small pause. " Remember the time you spent with me after your battle with Itachi? Let's say your brother's name wasn't the only one you murmured while you were unconscious."

His blood boiled, and for some reason he felt the need to fold his arms to shield his bump. He allowed his eyes to narrow. " I ask again." He was surprised to find that there was no will to argue inside him. There was no time to fight about what that dobe meant to him at the moment, he finally told himself. " What do you want?"

He could just tell how Madara's eyes gleamed. " I can offer you protection from Danzou's group – all three of you."

Something between rage and shock flared through him, and subconsciously he protected his swollen stomach even further. It took a lot of him to keep emotions hidden. Did Madara _know_? How was that possible? " What makes you think we'd need your help?"

Madara didn't even pause at this. " Because I know you haven't been feeling well – I can tell it from your face. And it's only going to get worse, as you can probably tell. Did you think you'd be able to escape your fate all alone in that condition? Besides…" The man's gaze strayed towards what his arms were trying to hide. " Do you really want to jeopardize your own child, your clan's future, any further than you have already? To leave the kid without both of its parents? After all, you know what the life of an orphan is like."

Those words made him feel unbearably cold, and he had to fight for a moment to catch his breath. A deep frown appeared without his call. " What the hell are you talking about?"

The man shrugged. " Let's say that I've done my research much better than you have." There was a long silence, without a doubt to add drama. " You're a male, and Orochimaru's little… procedure didn't change that. I'm sure you understand that. There's a great chance you won't be able to deliver the baby without paying the ultimate price."

He found himself feeling sick to his stomach, and only his pride kept him from shivering. He didn't like the roaming under his skin any more than he did those words. He would've lied saying he hadn't thought about those facts, but the way they were now presented to him… " You sound like you'd be offering me a deal."

" I am." Madara's tone told that the man had hit whatever the aim he'd had. " Leave Konoha with me, and I'll help you through this alive. I'll be able to make sure nothing happens to the three of you."

He snorted. " Are you trying to make me believe that you've forgotten about your hunt for the Tailed Beasts?" His eyes hardened even further. " I'm not trusting Naruto into your hands."

It was almost unnerving how little disappointment radiated from Madara – it was almost as though the man had been expecting something like this. " What about you?" The man's hand brushed him, and in some other state of mind he might've seen it glow threateningly, sensed something foreign enter him. " Do you trust me a little – for the sake of you and your child?"

He was just about to respond when Madara's hands suddenly moved much faster than his eyes. Once spinning around, he found that the man had killed two Danzou's men who'd been sneaking up on him from behind. His eyes and heart weren't any more trusting when he turned back towards the man. " That doesn't change anything. I'm still not going with you."

Madara's shoulders stiffened, and for a moment he wondered if the man thought about attacking him. Instead, however, he faced a nod. " Just remember this… The offer still stands. And I have a feeling you know how to find me." So saying the man disappeared.

For a couple of minutes he stood absolutely still, feeling somewhat disbelieving and confused. Had Madara really given up this easily? He doubted it.

He then frowned, biting back a groan, when the man's words, dark predictions, filled his head.

There was just too much chaos inside his mind. And those wounds from Danzou he was only just becoming aware of were starting to hurt irritatingly.

" Sasuke?" Fortunately Hiashi Hyuuga's voice offered some distraction. Turning around, he noticed that the man had a couple of small cuts, but otherwise the other seemed unharmed. The brunette's expression was firm. " It's… been done. Some of Danzou's troupes escaped, others are dead or captured. The elders have been taken care of. Soon enough it's over."

He nodded, feeling mildly relieved for the first time that day. At least something was working according to the plan… He spoke after a moment. " You know what to do next, right?"

The man frowned, appearing mildly confused. " Where are you going?"

His eyes flashed, he could tell, while he turned around. " There's… something important I need to do."

If he was offered words of parting, he didn't know. His ears were blocked by a rush of thoughts while he walked away.

Nearby the village's borderline he froze when hearing steps. He groaned a little, balling his fists. " I already turned down your deal."

But it wasn't Madara. Instead he stared right into the flaming green eyes of Sakura. " Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" She gestured towards all the battling raging, then glanced towards his wounds. " What have you done to yourself? What's going on?"

His eyes didn't change although something shifted inside him. " This…", he stated, allowing his gaze to wander. The battle was slowly dying down while the darkest night started to fade away. Hiashi was right – it wouldn't take much longer before everything would be over with. " … is a revolution, Sakura. A new beginning."

Suddenly, despite all the uncertainties there'd be ahead, he felt almost calm. He'd gotten his revenge, the one for which he'd paid such a bitter price. He'd achieved his goal. His family could finally rest in peace.

Though, it didn't make him feel quite as fulfilled as he'd expected…

" Sasuke." Once more Sakura's voice pulled him back to reality. Her eyes were filled with something close to doubt and worry. For just a moment she seemed ready to attack him, or at least to roar at him about all the mess around them, but in the end she apparently chose against it. " You're not thinking about leaving again, are you?"

He didn't know what to say, how to respond. In the end he pressed his lips to a thin line before finally speaking. " I won't do anything I won't have to."

Sakura's eyes were stern before he turned around, starting to walk away. " I really hope so. Because Naruto wouldn't be able to handle losing you all over again."

His eyes narrowed, and what felt like an electric jolt crossed his being. Why did she have to mention Naruto's name? " Hn."

" And Sasuke… You should take better care of his heart than you have so far."

He frowned, almost stopped, at those words. Naruto's heart? What the hell was she talking about? " Whatever", was all he managed.

When Sakura spoke once more, just before he was out of earshot, her voice was already softer. " Take care of yourself, okay? Both of you."

He didn't know what came over him just then, what power possessed him. But before he could stop himself he'd lifted his hand – just like so many endless years ago after the battle with Haku and Zabuza. It was the only 'bye' his pride allowed him to give.

With that simple gesture he left Konoha behind once more, went back to the life of a fugitive he knew sadly well.

* * *

Morning was almost breaking by the time it became clear who'd won the battle over Konoha. Whatever there was left of Danzou's allies had vanished like slowly clearing smoke after the man had disappeared to what seemed like thin air.

While the confused village licked the new wounds it'd received during the long night, Hiashi Hyuuga took a stand on a platform, a steely look in his eyes. " Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Konoha's history", the man announced, his voice carrying easily over the murmuring, mistrusting crowd. Some new pairs of eyes turned towards him. " During the past months, since the Akatsuki's ruthless attack, we've lost a lot, received several wounds. Before this dawn there was no hope of recovery."

" What makes you think there'd be any hope now?" some bitter soul all but snorted, immediately gaining a chorus of approving comments.

Hiashi didn't weaver. This was what he'd been expecting. " Because as from now, this village no longer belongs to a group of people who have only their own best interest as their aim. Danzou's been subdued, as have the elders. In less than a day Konoha will have a new council that bases its decisions on the village's benefit." He waited for a while, pleased to see the light that lit into the eyes of many people. Apparently this outstretch of a hand, this sudden new hope, was something those people had been waiting for. " A new era starts now, no longer shadowed by weak minds and the threat of the Akatsuki! The real process of rebuilding begins now!"

At first the people simply stared at him numbly, as though not quite ready to believe. Then, very slowly, a chorus of cheers started to erupt. The mood was contagious, and soon even those who'd seemed most mistrusting could be seen smiling.

Hiashi smiled, which was something so uncharacteristic of him that it surprised even him.

Yes, today indeed was a new beginning.

Now all he could do was hope that the mistakes of past wouldn't be repeated…

-

From the back of the crowd Sakura and Ino observed the scenery with somewhat solemn faces.

" What do you think this means?" Ino inquired after a long silence.

Sakura shook her head, feeling somewhat cold. There was just too much uncertainty… " I… don't know", she confessed quietly.

All she did know, really, was that she really needed to talk to Tsunade about all this.

* * *

When he finally entered his new team's hideout at dawn, Sasuke felt so exhausted that his knees barely supported his weight. Despite physical fatigue and all the things weighting his mind, however, he managed to maintain his stoic posture when Suigetsu appeared.

The boy immediately inspected him with his gaze, appearing almost worried when seeing his wounds. " Are you alright?"

He nodded, forcing his thoughts to the situation at hand, then folded his arms although it hurt. " Did you get Naruto?"

Suigetsu nodded, appearing mildly irritated. " Yeah. It wasn't an easy job, though. I think he's still asleep." The boy's expression then changed. " Sasuke… Karin hasn't come back yet."

He felt a nasty twinge of some sort, and he wondered if something could be seen from his face while he nodded again. " When she comes back, tell her I want a report." He refused to think about the option that she wouldn't come back.

" Sure." After a moment Suigetsu seemed to come close to grinning. " It's good to have you back here, you know?"

For some reason those words gave him a hint of warmth. " Hn." With that he started to walk away.

It was time to face the music in the form of a pissed off Naruto Uzumaki.

-

When waking up Naruto didn't feel pain or nausea, which was what a part of him had been expecting. Instead there was something that felt almost like a brush on his cheek. " Naruto."  
His stomach made weird movements, barely daring to believe his assumption. " Ynh."

" Dobe, are you awake?"

His heart actually jumped with relief, and a tiny sound escaped him before he finally managed to open his eyes. What he found made a huge grin spread across his face, although there was also an intense flash of anger. " Teme."

For just a moment it looked like Sasuke was about to say something meaningful, but in the end the boy simply folded his arms. " Hn."

At that he finally felt the situation wash over him. His eyes narrowed. " Teme, what the hell are you doing?! What did you do to yourself and Konoha?" The lack of response only made his anger intensify. " You… You could've had yourself killed! You could've had our baby killed!" He knew rage would do no good with Sasuke, but he was just too furious to care, beyond all reason. He'd been worrying too long. His eyes stung as he half screamed, half piped out. " You're pregnant, don't you understand that? You've got a baby to think about! You…! You….!" _I could've lost you!_, was something that almost slipped by his tongue. " You could've destroyed it all, don't you understand?" He took deep, shuddering breaths, not managing to hold himself back or compose himself. " Is… Is revenge really all that matters to you? You… You risked it all…!"

Sasuke sighed a little, with irritation or something else was impossible to tell, and swatted his head gently. " Dobe, stop rambling. You need to breathe. Everything's alright."

He had no idea how to feel when he met the boy's eyes. " How am I supposed to believe that?!" he all but cried out.

Sasuke didn't respond in any way whatsoever, only remained there, so close that he could feel the boy's warmth. And very slowly the closeness started to affect him.

Sasuke shuddered almost violently when – in the spur of the moment – he wrapped his arms around the raven and pulled the boy as close as humanly possible. " Dobe, let go! There's a lot I need to do."

" No." His voice, although muffled because his face was buried to Sasuke's chest, was so firm and strong that there was no room for arguments. The Uchiha's heartbeat was so strong and reassuring… " Do you honestly think I'd let go of you _now_?" He grabbed the fabric of the raven's shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. " I'm done watching you running like a madman."

There was a small, slightly choked scoff. " How do you think you could stop me?"

His eyes flashed while he pulled the Uchiha so close that it all but seized both their breaths. " Shut it, teme. Please."

Surprisingly enough the raven didn't choose to retort this, didn't make a sound, actually. Or so he thought at first.

He frowned when feeling a warm breath. " Did you… say something?"

Sasuke waited for about three seconds. " Nothing important, dobe." For some reason he doubted that.

It wasn't until then his nose finally sharpened to a smell he definitely didn't like, and he frowned. _Blood?_ Unwilling to do so he pushed Sasuke slightly further, and emitted something between a gasp and a growl when finally registering the boy's multiple wounds. " You're hurt." His eyes were almost accusing when meeting the raven's. " Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

The mighty Uchiha looked away with a sulking expression, like a five-year-old getting lectured. " Hmph."

Coming to a conclusion that he wouldn't get anything further, he sighed and got up although going away from Sasuke was the last thing he wanted to do – he feared the boy wouldn't be there when he'd come back. " You, stay put, understood?" He thought for a moment. " Where can I find bandages? Because those wounds need to be taken care of."

-

About twenty minutes later Sasuke squirmed and emitted small growls in Naruto's hands while he patched up the damage done. When finally getting the last wound bandaged he sighed deeply and looked towards the raven's alarmingly pale face. " Are there any more I haven't noticed? And you better be honest – I'm too tired to yell at you."

Sasuke waited for a moment before shaking his head.

He nodded his approval, feeling relieved. Some of the wounds had been deep. Even more of those, and… " Good." He then frowned once more. " Are you okay?"

Sasuke nodded, appearing mildly irritated. " I just need rest, that's all. So you can stop fussing, dobe."

He felt like laughing out loud at that.

_Yeah, right…_

Like he'd ever be able to relax with someone as self-destructive as Sasuke. Sometimes he seriously wondered if he was a masochist when putting himself through this.

Despite those thoughts his hand sneaked into Sasuke's to hold on determinedly, and a flash of joy flashed through him when he realized that the boy didn't resist.

It was around then he – they both, perhaps – realized just how close to each other they were, only a breath away. At that moment something quite a bit like what they'd felt before the two times they'd gone all the way through took them over. This time, however, the moment seemed to hold something more delicate and precious.

And suddenly there was no fear in him.

There was a reason to why he'd been fighting so hard for all those years, he saw it clearly now. And it was about time to let the Uchiha understand that as well.

Careful to maintain his firm hold, he distanced himself from Sasuke so that he was able to press his lips against the raven's. At first the Uchiha stiffened completely against him, but eventually something deeper seemed to take over and the boy's lips started to move, all but caressed his. Those motions only made the grip he had on the other grow tighter. His heart started to race and grow until it barely fit into his chest.

In the end Sasuke pushed him slightly further with an expression he couldn't read. " Naruto, what the…?!"

He found himself shrugging, not sure if he wanted to cry or laugh. " I don't know", he admitted, feeling ridiculous all of a sudden.

For just a moment he was sure Sasuke would punch him or do something just as unpleasant. That's why he blinked with surprise when instead the raven rolled his eyes, seeming to hold back a smile. " You really are a idiot."

He scoffed, but grinned nonetheless. " You really should stop saying that, you know?" He poked the raven's stomach gently, making the boy shiver a little. " After all, half of the little one's from me, remember?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at this, appearing torn, almost. " 'Little one'?"

He made a somewhat nonchalant sound, repositioning his arms so that the Uchiha was even more comfortably in his arms. (Surprisingly enough the boy didn't even try to vigour away, most likely too worked up by other things.) " So sue me, but I couldn't come up with anything less cheesy." Seeing the other's expression he added dryly. " And I am not calling our child 'a thing'."

Something he couldn't name flashed by Sasuke's face. " Hmph."

It was around then he realized that the other's eyelids drooped, barely remaining open. The faintest hint of a smile appeared to his features. " Tired?"

Sasuke's eyes were closed while the raven responded. " What does it look like?"

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't hold back a smile. This… felt so very good, almost too much so to be real. It took quite a bit of courage before he managed to voice his suggestion. " Sasuke… Sleep here, with me."

One of the boy's eyelids inched halfway open, peering tiredly at him with near bafflement. " What?"

He felt like blushing a little. " I meant actual sleeping, pervert", he half-snorted. " You know, like real people who don't bounce at each other in the woods?" After a moment and discovering the other's muscles relaxing he added. " This has been a long, crappy night, okay? I'm tired, too."

It wouldn't have been surprising if Sasuke had simply brushed him off, even dropped him from the bed. That's why it almost baffled him when instead the Uchiha lay down with still closed eyes, relaxing completely in a matter of seconds. " If you snore, you're out, understood?"  
Muttering something incoherent even he couldn't make out under his breath he lay down as well, wounding his arm around Sasuke. His chest, however, swelled with hope.

Sure, the night before had been pure hell. But maybe this morning would be better.

-

As soon as Naruto fell asleep Sasuke's eyes opened just a little, peering at the completely relaxed, smiling blond, who seemed so trusting it made something inside him ache although he didn't know why.

His only hope was that things wouldn't turn out as messy as they once had…

* * *

In the hastily built base they'd managed to find, Kisame approached Madara.

" Did you succeed?" the masked man inquired immediately.

He nodded, choosing his words rather carefully. " Yeah. She's… no longer a trouble." He then waited for a moment before going on. " So… It looks like you were right – Danzou was too much of a weakling to give Sasuke into our hands."

Madara did something that looked a lot like a shrug. " Meh, I'd been expecting as much, so I'm not even surprised. He was a great help with setting a foot into Konoha, though." The man stretched a little while getting up. " As from now, we're working on our own with the information I got from him."

" So…" Feeling somewhat impatient he sat and folded his arms. " Konoha's starting from a empty table again – they're practically defenseless, and all those so called allies won't be able to protect Naruto and Sasuke. Are we going to take advantage of that?"

Despite the mask, he could've sworn Madara smirked. " Hn. Yes." The man started to walk away. " I just made sure Sasuke will come to me, and as soon as he does Naruto will surely follow. We'll get all three of them. All we need to do is be patient."

* * *

In their own hideout Naruto and Sasuke slept soundly in each other's arms, painfully or perhaps blessedly unaware of everything there was ahead of them.

Or, as someone who watched longer than a couple of seconds discovered, perhaps not all that soundly.

Sasuke's eyes, slightly bloodshot from the much too few hours of sleep he'd had, were open, switching between the ceiling and Naruto's still calm, utterly contended face.

For the first time in his life Sasuke Uchiha didn't have the slightest clue of what to do. And he hated it from the bottom of his heart.

* * *

TBC, right?

* * *

1) Remember how Suigetsu sneaked into Danzou's office in the last chapter, with Karin's help? That bottle (and perhaps something else) was what he delivered.

* * *

A/N: So… That was the first slice of action (there'll be a teeny bit more to come in the future). How was it? Because at the moment I'm quite insecure about this chappy. (gulps loudly)

But now, because I'm in a HUGE hurry and my eyes are sore from all this staring at the screen, I've gotta start tuning out. **PLEASE**, leave a review before following my example! I could REALLY use your support right now. (gives ENORMOUS puppy-dog eyes, along with some reward cookies)

Oh yes, and **the poll about the baby's gender** is still open! So if you haven't voted yet, you've still got a chance. (grins)

Awkay, until next time, folks! I really hope that'll be soon, and that many of you will be tuned then, un.

Be well!


	7. The Most Painful Decisions

A/N: GAH! It was one HELL of a couple of weeks, but I'm still alive and kicking. (winces and wipes forehead) Heh, 'sorry about me spazzing, but what can I say? I'm a basket case – though not as bad of a case as a certain teme… (rolls eyes and grins at a glaring Uchiha)

Right here, I must send ENORMOUS thank yous for that INCREDIBLE amount of breathtaking reviews! (glomps ya guys) Awww, so much love for this 'lil story. (sniffs) Ya know, you've seriously been a help to me lately, so I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am. THANK YOU! As per usual, responses to anonymous reviews can be found from underneath the chappy, un.

Ah, before I forget – **IMPORTANT NOTICE TIMES TWO**! Ladies and gentlemen, the jury has spoken and I'm now closing up the voting as to the baby's gender (though if you reeeeally want a vote through, I may just accept it…). The results were clearer than clear, and I must confess I'm pretty excited. (grins and rubs hands together) And, as for the other matter. **A NEW VOTING**! I'm recently found myself in a trouble. You see, the twists I have in mind would require TWO more chappies. (winces) So… Whadda ya say? One more extra chappy, or some scenes to be deleted? It's your call, un!

Awkay, before I start jumping all over the place… (sweatdrops) Let's get busy, un! I SERIOUSLY hope ya'll like this chappy, although most of it was written in a… let's say bizarre state of mind. (grins sheepishly)

* * *

**PHASE SEVEN: The Most Painful Decisions**

* * *

_**One And A Half Months Later.**_

* * *

When six weeks had passed, Naruto had already grown well used to his runaway's life with Sasuke's new team. After all, although he missed Konoha every day, just a single glance towards at the moment sleeping Sasuke reminded him that he basically had everything he needed right there with him.

By now Sasuke was starting to _show_. The once tiny and harmless bump had grown to such extend that even the baggiest of the Uchiha's clothes didn't manage to disguise the secret any longer. The raven was officially becoming a _mommy_, as Naruto called him when in a particularly masochistic mood.

To Naruto, the changes were endearing. Seeing as the baby wasn't inside him, he could now see and feel it a lot more clearly – the little one had what Sasuke called 'a killer kick'. Raging hormones also made the Uchiha uncharacteristically… _soft_ at times, which he welcomed gladly.

Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't quite as thrilled about the changes his body and mind were pushed through – the raging hormones, constantly growing stomach and sledgehammer hard kicks were driving the raven up the wall. It was almost amusing that the boy who hadn't even wanted the child at first now couldn't wait to get it out.

Shaking his head to wake himself from deep thoughts, Naruto brushed the Uchiha's cheek with a gentle hand. The boy's nose wrinkled and one fist swayed, but he dodged the sleepy hit easily. " Hey, time to wake up", he all but whispered, keeping his voice gentle and low; these days the raven had brutal headaches when waking up more often than not. " You've been sleeping for fifteen hours already."

Very slowly Sasuke's eyelids inched halfway open, and a pair of mildly irritated onyx pools peered up at him. " Hmph." The boy rubbed his face with two hands for a long moment before looking at him again. " You look cheery."

He grinned and would've ruffled the raven's hair if he hadn't feared for the safety of his hand. " Blame yourself. You look too damn adorable when waking up."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and if it'd been someone else before him he would've said the boy blushed. " Idiot." The raven then groaned, bringing a hand to his abdomen. " I swear that this damn troublemaker is going to kick right through my stomach."

He first blinked, then smiled.

'Troublemaker'? Now that was progress.

He was fairly sure he was pushing his luck, but nonetheless his hand roamed forth, eventually pausing about a millimetre above Sasuke's promising bump. He was too excited to even register the glare he received. " Is the kiddo still kicking?" he inquired, using the nickname he'd grown fond of a couple of weeks earlier – actually, he'd stolen it from Suigetsu, who'd practically fainted when first hearing about the steadily growing extension to the team. (Juugo, on the other hand, had barely even blinked. Naruto doubted anything could upset or surprise the tall boy.)

Sasuke snorted. " What do you think?"

He rolled his eyes, although the Uchiha's words did nothing to his mood. " Oh don't be a sourpuss." Without really thinking he moved so that he was hovering above the other boy, yet careful not to bring any harm or pressure on the male's abdomen. Instead of moving away his hand pressed a little tighter, and he grinned when facing something beautiful and familiar. " Well hello there. Are you giving _papa_ hard time?"

Unlike anyone who knew Sasuke would've expected Naruto didn't face violence, didn't even get any attempts of him being pushed away. All he got was a pair of slightly smouldering onyx eyes. " Are you indenting to move?" the Uchiha asked after a very long moment, sounding between amused and irritated.

He thought about it for a moment, then grinned and shook his head while bringing it against the boy's chest. " Nah. It's not like there'd be anything special to do, right? There's no hurry."

" Hmph."

He then felt a warm flow travel all the way through him when the baby's kicks kept feeling with surprisingly strong, easily traceable thrusts he'd never get tired of feeling. He kept his hand, which trembled slightly with excitement, directly where he felt the motions, and fought back a chuckle when feeling the same thing over and over again. It was like the baby had sensed him there, and somehow he liked to think that was the case.

There was a tiny groan coming from Sasuke – quite obviously the raven was starting to feel uncomfortable, be it for physical or mental reasons. " Are you done yet?"

He nodded, although distancing himself from the boy wasn't what he wanted to do, and settled with simply laying beside the raven. Anything was good, so long as he could be close to the Uchiha. Just then he frowned, sensing the other's restrained need to squirm. " Are you feeling sick again?"

The Uchiha shrugged, staring at the ceiling. " Hn. A little." The boy then gave him a look of disapproval. " Start fussing and I'll use force."

He made a strange sound in the back of his throat. " What makes you think I'd make a fuss?"

The raven's expression was wry. " You always make a fuss."

He shrugged. " I think I've got a pretty good reason to." He then mused for a moment, looking at the Uchiha's slightly too pale face. " Do you want to lay down for a bit longer?"

Too proud to admit anything out loud, Sasuke simply rolled to his side and curled up a little, most likely too tired and nauseated to care if such a position made him look weak and pathetic. " Hmmh", was all the boy produced.

Unable to keep himself from smiling he pulled the surprisingly unresisting Uchiha closer and buried his face into the soft bush of black hair.

Despite the fact that a gloomy part of him tried to message that this euphoria wouldn't last forever he decided to dare to enjoy himself for a bit. After all, hadn't they both been through enough to deserve a taste of happiness like this?

-

While lay more than halfway asleep in Naruto's arms, only his Uchiha spirit kept Sasuke from sighing with contentment, despite the fact that he was still feeling nauseated and drowsy, and the damn troublemaker was tormenting him with kicking.

For so many long, dark years all his life had been wrapped around revenge, and he'd spent almost three years of that time in what can only be called hell. He'd given up _everything_ to gain his goal, done many things that still sickened him if he thought about them too much. He'd lost almost everyone he'd ever held dear, been so bitter that it'd been like a rope around his neck.

But now… For the first time in longer than he could remember he was slowly seeing something other than darkness ahead of him. His path of revenge had been walked through, and in sense he'd lost what had once been the meaning of his life. And somehow he came to a conclusion that maybe such a change wasn't a bad thing. Perhaps now he'd be able to find something else meaningful into his life.

Just then there was a sharp, almost stab like jolt of pain in his stomach, and he bit back a groan in fear of arousing Naruto's suspicion. Had he believed in such a stupid thing, he could've sworn he _felt_ terror radiating from what was growing inside him, sensed a flash of warning.

Still feeling drowsy, as well as restless, he forced himself into a sitting position, careful not to wake up the blond who still slept soundly. In a matter of moments his steps led him out of the room and into a dimly lit hallway. Once again Madara's words bounced inside his head.

/ _" There's a great chance you won't be able to deliver the baby without paying the ultimate price."_ /

He frowned.

What if the man hadn't been messing with him, after all?

He shook those thoughts away forcefully and growled, his eyes darkening. His headache escalated in an instant.

He really needed a walk, because he was obviously thinking too much.

* * *

In Konoha, Sakura was fighting to stay awake while finishing up a harsh, several hours long training session with Iruka.

The past weeks had meant enormous changes for the village. So far Danzou, as well as what was left of the Akatsuki, had remained at bay, and very slowly everyone was starting to get used to the new era of peace and serenity. Tsunade was gradually starting to regain her strength, and with the aid of a brand new council she was slowly trying to pull together what Danzou and all the battles had torn to shreds. Behind the seemingly tranquil surface, however, boiling had started the moment certain greedy souls had seen their chance arriving. Sakura was close enough to Tsunade to know that not everyone thought she was the best option to lead Konoha out of the darkness into which it'd almost fallen – several power hungry rivals had showed up during the past weeks, and it was a taunting task to keep track on all the scheming going on.

Unfortunately that, accompanied by the fact that she was still forced to work almost twelve hours a day, wasn't Sakura's only concern. As it was, Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared. Fortunately the two had been able to send a message that they were all right, but that didn't soothe all worries. With all the ninjas she knew to be after the boys – especially Sasuke, who was officially a fugitive – Sakura hoped the two would remain missing, although not knowing how they were was painful.

" Sakura." Hearing Iruka's voice made her jolt a little. There was a look she remembered startlingly well on his face. " I think we should… call it quits for today."

She blinked twice, not quite following. " Why?"

Iruka's expression was something close to wistful while the man moved, every motion requiring far more than they should've but much more fluent than before. " Because…" The brunette winced a little – apparently his body didn't appreciate all this sudden activity. " … it's… obvious that you… don't want to be _here_." The exhausted man fumbled for words, but the sentence was nonetheless understandable enough.

She swallowed thickly, then blushed. And here she'd thought she'd hid it so well… " I…" No, the teacher deserved better than lies. " I'm sorry."  
The man shook his head, and seemed to look for a smile. " It's okay." The brunette thought for a long moment, or perhaps gathered strength. " You… can go. I don't need… a babysitter anymore."

Feeling extremely guilty she straightened her form. " I'll be back in the morning, alright?" In the spur of the moment she brushed his shoulder. " Have a good night."

" You too. I hope… that you'll find what… you're looking for." Just before she was out the man went on. " Sakura… Where's… Naruto? And Kakashi?"

She felt her face fall beyond chalk white, and if there'd been anything in her hands it would've surely fallen.

How was she supposed to answer that, tell Iruka that the two people he had memories of…?

Fortunately she was spared from the torture about to dawn, for just then the booming sound of an almost rebuilt building collapsing erupted. Soon enough screams followed, indicating that at least one person had been injured.

She was needed elsewhere.

She forced a feeble smile, feeling a twinge when meeting the question – almost plea – in those brown eyes. " I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." With that she closed the door between them almost terrifyingly eagerly.

Sometimes, she discovered with some self hatred, it was just too tempting to choose the coward's way out. Yet she told herself that this time, she did it for Iruka's sake.

* * *

In the meantime Sasuke discovered that no amount of fresh air he breathed right outside the cave helped him erase the headache and nausea that only seemed to escalate by each passing moment. It was almost like during the beginning of the pregnancy, which he would've much rather forgotten.

" Geez, you're turning green." Suigetsu's voice and expression carried worry the boy was obviously trying to hide, which was something that'd been present far too much since the boy had found out about his… condition. Without being asked to the other stood only a step away. " Are you okay?"

He turned his gaze away sharply, starting to become aggravated by all this sudden attention directed to him. " Yes." Then, as he sensed the other staring at his bump, his left eyebrow started to twitch with irritation. " Would you please stop staring at it? It's humiliating enough as it is."

There was a sheepish sound. " 'Sorry. It's just still pretty damn hard to believe that you're…" Apparently Suigetsu still couldn't utter the last word.

It was around then he started to have enough. Sure, they'd spent more time together than before after Karin had gone missing, but there was something fishy about this. He looked towards the other with sharp, demanding eyes. " Suigetsu, just spit it out, will you?" He grit his teeth. " What's going on?"

Suigetsu swallowed thickly, the boy's expression uncharacteristically wary. After a long moment the other handed him a rather thick file with apparent reluctance. " After you told me… about all this, I did some research in one of Orochimaru's old labs – you know, just to make sure." The boy sighed heavily, eyes darkening. " I didn't want to give you this."

Feeling even more nauseated than before he took the file rather forcefully and opened it, far from sure if he even wanted to know what was inside it. What he found made the whole world and his heart come to a sudden stop.

Tens of reports of experimental male pregnancies… Blunt, emotionless reports of just as many deaths…

Horrid descriptions of the process, of how badly things had gone wrong – overwhelming nausea, pain, bleeding, lethal miscarriages, malformations…

Very slowly, what must've been over half an hour later, his eyes rose to meet Suigetsu's. He felt dizzy, and his knees seemed to want to buckle. " So… None of the carrying fathers…?" _None of them or the babies made it._

Suigetsu swallowed again, with an expression he didn't know. " I'm… sorry, Sasuke." In some other situation he might've been amused to hear those words from the boy's mouth, but at the moment he barely registered them.

Suddenly the forest around him was much colder and darker than before…

They, of course, didn't know that their conversation wasn't exactly as private as they'd thought.

-

Naruto's face had never been as pale as they were while he leaned against the cave's wall only steps away from the exit, well close enough to make sure he'd heard every single word. He brought a hand to his chest that seemed to tighten significantly, never even noticing the stinging that appeared into his eyes.

So, Sasuke… This pregnancy…

_No._

His eyes lit into a flame, just like so many times before when his thoughts were focused on the young Uchiha.

Whatever it'd take, he would _not_ let Sasuke die, couldn't even think about the possibility.

For now, he'd make sure Sasuke was okay and content. But if the situation would go _that_ far…

His fists balled.

He cared about the Uchiha far too much to lose the teme again.

-

None of them noticed Zetsu, who disappeared from nearby trees like a ghost.

* * *

Madara's eyes barely moved when Zetsu appeared to the hideout. " Well?"

" Everything's going just as planned", the other man announced. " Sasuke finally believes what you told him. It's only a matter of time."

" Good", he hissed, like a snake taking in the scent of an unsuspecting pray. " What about Naruto?"

" I didn't see him, but I doubt he'd be far. I'm sure he'll move just as soon as Sasuke does."

Madara's eyes flashed with immense contentment.

Oh, things were going even better than according to the plan.

It wouldn't be long before those two would play right into his pocket and he'd get everything he'd been after.

* * *

**_Two Weeks Later._**

* * *

Fourteen more days, Sakura mused darkly. Two full weeks, and still not a trace of Naruto and Sasuke. She tried to tell herself that it was also a good thing – at least they hadn't gotten caught – but she would've felt much more comfortable if she'd had the boys where she could see them.

" Sakura." Hearing Sai's voice startled her so badly that she jumped a little before turning around. The boy was approaching her with his usual expression. " What are you doing out this late?"

She sighed somewhat heavily, focusing firmly on not looking towards the direction from which she'd come. " I… took some flower's to Kakashi-sensei's grave." She swallowed with a lot of difficulty, despite all the time passed feeling stinging in her eyes. " I… go there almost every day, but today… I didn't have any time earlier, so…" She trailed off just then, realizing that there was no real need to explain.

To her mild surprise instead of offering something that would've insulted her or just ignoring her Sai nodded, something she couldn't name flashing in his eyes for a moment. " Do you want me to walk you home?"

She actually blinked at that, a part of her wondering why the situation felt so absurd – after all, they were teammates. In the end she found herself nodding. After all, it was a long time from when they'd actually met. " Sure."

They walked in a rather comfortable silence, observing the village that was slowly getting back to its still unsteady feet. There, in the dimming light of a darkening evening, the sight that'd not long ago been heartbreaking was almost beautiful.

Sai made a strange sound she couldn't recognize. " Captain Yamato isn't going to believe this when he comes back from the mission."

Sakura blinked a bit, only then remembering the man. The brunette had been away on a mission for the past three months. To think how many things had changed during that time…

" Yeah." Her eyes softened. " You know… Maybe some good will come out of this after all."

Sai seemed slightly less enthusiastic, as though the boy had seen something in the horizon she didn't – or perhaps the boy was just deep in thought. " Hmm."

She opened her mouth again, but all words froze into her throat when she saw something right next to the nearby forest line. Slowly falling shadows were almost enough to hide it, but still…

A frown appeared to her face as she watched the motionless being resting on the cold ground.

_A… hawk?_

Ignoring Sai's questioning look, she walked up to the bird and brushed it gently with her hand. It couldn't have been dead all that long – it was still slightly warm. The animal might've seemed even peaceful if a sudden beam of light hadn't hit all the blood covering it, flowed from a wound left by a blade of some sort.

She couldn't understand why someone would do something like this to an innocent, harmless being. Or, she didn't understand until she noticed something.

A note that'd been forgotten, attached and hidden carefully to the bird.

She knew it was none of her business, but a nagging feeling pushed her forth and before a lot of thought she'd already taken the note and folded it open. Her heart skipped some beats at what she found.

' _Don't trust his lies – he only wants what's inside you. Stay hidden, for the sake of yourself and the baby._

_K_'

She knew it could've been just a coincidence, that the message could've meant _anything_, but somehow her furiously beating heart seemed to know better. Perhaps the sensation was a sixth sense.

" Sakura?" Sai's voice sounded somewhat alarmed. " What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard, feeling almost nauseated. " We have to find Naruto and Sasuke, fast."

* * *

Naruto counted roughly that it'd been an hour from when Sasuke had went into a labour with severe tremors of something beyond pain, and during that time Naruto had barely remembered to breathe from sheer, all consuming terror.

Gosh, there was so much blood, _too much_ even he could tell. And Sasuke, he didn't seem to be breathing properly.

Damnit, how he wished they hadn't been alone!

" Sasuke, c'mon!" The despair in his voice would've shattered even the stoniest of souls, not to even mention the unshed tears in his eyes. " You need to push, okay? You… You've gotta push and breathe, damnit!"

The Uchiha tried to do as ordered, but instead of a baby all that came out was even more blood, along with a wrenching moan. To anyone but the Uzumaki – who was living in a blissful denial – it was clear that the raven wouldn't be able to go on any longer.

Fear squeezed like a huge, spiky ball around Naruto's chest while Sasuke's eyes started to close, slowly yet inevitably. " Sasuke, _no_!" he all but screamed. " Don't you dare…!"

But just one look to those black pools was enough to silence him. " … 'sorry …", was all Sasuke managed to breathe out, his eyes and voice sounding hopelessly far away.

And then, with Naruto being able to do nothing but watch and scream out the Uchiha's name over and over again, the raven's eyes slipped closed. In less than a minute the boy's whole body had grown absolutely still – it was almost possible to _see_ life abandon Sasuke.

For about fifteen agonizing minutes all Naruto could do was sit there in a pool of his most precious person's blood, unable to comprehend what had happened and the pain slowly seeping in striking him absolutely numb. But as everything finally caught a grip on him he simply broke down. What can only be called a howl of pain erupted from him while he all but collapsed on the Uchiha, as though trying to shield the boy for the final time. The storm of tears that followed didn't even register to him.

His whole world was crumbling down, and he was fairly sure a piece of him died. He could've never even imagined such pain – it was too much.

Then, just as he thought that he wouldn't be able to take it anymore…

Naruto's eyes flew open and he gasped loudly, coming dangerously close to screaming with only a lump in his throat restraining him. Tears filled his sore, constantly widening eyes while he emitted a pathetic sound that rose from deep within his throat. " … 'ke!"

It took a long moment and several deep breaths before he finally became aware of the hand squeezing his shoulders and registered the voice all but snarling at him. " Naruto, snap out of it! It was just a nightmare."

Very slowly, his breathing still somewhat erratic, he started to calm down and turned his gaze towards Sasuke. The Uchiha… He wasn't bleeding and screaming – _dying_. Instead the boy sat right there before him, looking at him with stern eyes.

He took a one more deep breath, the relief appearing sweeping him completely numb for a moment. " You… You're…" Nothing more came.

Sasuke, however, seemed to understand. " You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

That was no surprise to either one of them, really – he'd been having these disturbing dreams pretty much every night for the past two weeks, ever since he'd found out what the end of this pregnancy could do to Sasuke. At moments like this it was almost impossible not to just grab the Uchiha's shoulders and scream that he _knew_.

Giving a rather deep sigh, Sasuke rubbed his face with one hand – appearing drowsy – and squeezed his shoulder a little. " Dobe, it was just a stupid dream, okay? So you can stop looking at me like that."

He frowned when the boy struggled his way out of the bed. " Where are you going?"

He could've sworn he felt a roll of eyes. " To take a walk, dobe – I need fresh air. I'll be back in a minute. Go back to sleep."

A huge part of him really, really wanted to believe Sasuke was okay. So why did he find it so hard?

-

As soon as he was out of the room, Sasuke rubbed his face with both hands and valiantly swallowed down a groan.

Since when had the cave's dim light actually _hurt_ his eyes? And this headache was driving him crazy…!

" Sasuke?" Suigetsu's voice sounded oddly jumbled. The stinging in his eyes barely allowed him to see the boy's face. " What's up? You're paler than a sheet."

He tried to answer, attempted to snarl that he was all right and there was no need for a hassle. But instead his knees chose to give way just then.

-

At that exact moment Naruto felt what can only be called a flare cross him, and his whole being turned utterly cold.

Something was badly wrong.

He was just about to leave the room when a sombre faced Suigetsu entered without a warning – a limp Sasuke held securely in his arms.

He'd never felt the kind of emotions he did when bouncing from the bed, following with sharp, almost frantic eyes as Suigetsu lay the Uchiha gently to the bed. He'd taken his place by the bed in an instant, his attention fixing on how Sasuke squinted his eyes and winced, obviously in a great deal of pain. " What the hell happened?!" the managed, blue eyes frantic.  
Suigetsu answered before the raven ever got a chance. " I'm… not sure." The boy's eyes spoke a lot more.

" I'm fine, damnit", Sasuke growled, but when seeing how the boy failed to struggle into a sitting position neither of them believed him. " So… stop that."

At that moment Naruto just couldn't control it anymore. His eyes were sore and his throat felt tight while he all but piped out. " No, you're not fine!" He swallowed thickly, his head spinning a million miles per hour, following the pace of his heart. " Look, I… I _know_, okay? So you can drop that stupid act already."

Sasuke stared at him almost incredulously for a moment, then emitted something close to a moan and sunk heavily against the bedcovers with one hand brought to his eyes. The boy mumbled something that couldn't be comprehended.

Naruto realized that he was feeling even more alarmed and colder than before. Everything about the whole situation sent him vibrations of threat. " If… If you're tired, just go to sleep, k?" Though he would've been much more comfortable with the Uchiha awake and fully alerted.

He couldn't tell with absolutely certainty, but he was fairly sure that the other relaxed a little, almost like obeying.

" Naruto." Suigetsu seemed so uncharacteristically serious that the expression alone was enough to alarm him. The boy was careful to speak so quietly that Sasuke couldn't hear. " This… isn't good, okay?" Like the boy would've even had to say that.

He was fairly sure he didn't want to know the answer, but couldn't keep himself from asking anyhow. " What… Is there something we can do?"

Suigetsu's shake of head shattered whatever little hope he'd had. " Honestly? I don't have a clue. I don't even know what the heck is wrong."

He didn't speak, didn't even know what he should've said. He barely noticed how Suigetsu left the room slowly, reluctant yet sensitive enough to give them some privacy.

All his attention locked to Sasuke's by then sleeping, much too pale face, which held the faintest hint of a frown even when the boy was asleep. It was a nearly terrifying experience to see the Uchiha so weak all of a sudden, to have the full gravity of the situation flow over him, seeming to come close to suffocating him.

It took an hour before he managed to move. Slowly, as though he'd been afraid of bringing pain, he outstretched a hand and brushed the boy's cheek. It was so warm that he couldn't help wondering if the other had fever. " Sasuke…"

The Uchiha didn't stir.

At that moment – as he watched the boy sleeping, breathing, _living_ – he realized that he'd done far too much waiting already. He'd need to _move_ before he'd end up losing everything he held most dear. And he knew there was only one way.

He breathed deeply, shuddering a little.

He'd have to go back to Konoha, no matter how dangerous and idiotic it was. Because the only person who'd be able to help Sasuke was Sakura.

His eyes narrowed for a moment, responding to the storm that rose inside him.

His hand wrapped around Sasuke's still and warm one, squeezing tenderly.

To hell with the risk of him getting into a trouble and receiving a punishment, to hell with _everything_. He wasn't going to lose his family before he'd even really get one.

He swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to rest his forehead against the raven's. " I… I hope you'll understand. It's just…" Gulping thickly, he finally leaned down and pressed a feather light kiss against the other boy's comfortingly warm skin. " I love you." It was almost heartbreaking not to receive a response, especially with how hard and terrifying it'd been to speak those words, and his eyes hurt. " I'll come back soon, 'k? So wait for me, will you?"

With that whisper as his words of parting he let go of the raven's hand and got up with badly wobbling legs, then turned around although it was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

-

In his current state of mind Naruto, of course, couldn't have seen the obvious signs of Sasuke faking – sharp breaths, quivering eyelids…

When he'd left Sasuke's eyes opened, carrying something that'd never been seen in them before.

The furious kicking inside him told that the baby felt exactly as he did.

He could only wonder if Naruto would ever forgive him for this one.

* * *

Minutes – hours, it seemed to him – passed by as Naruto ran like a madman, driven by sheer desperation. Tears blinded him, but he didn't give a damn – although he barely knew where he was, his heart seemed to remember the way home.

And he'd never wanted to make it back home as badly.

But, of course, even he had his limits, and as strong as he was his feet could take him only so far.

He had no clue how far from Konoha he was when all strength disappeared from him all of a sudden, and he was sent to the ground with a loud gasp. He attempted to get up once, twice, thrice, but no matter how hard he tried he just didn't have the strength anymore.

Emitting a near-roar of defeat and rage – not giving a damn about who could hear – he closed his eyes and slammed his fists to the ground as hard as he could. " Fucking damnit!"

He wouldn't fail to save Sasuke again! He _couldn't_…!

Just then his thoughts and attention jumped elsewhere and his tearful eyes widened when he caught the sounds of approaching steps – two sets, actually. He gulped laboriously, his throat growing completely dry in a matter of seconds.

_Shit…!_

Forgetting his helplessness from moments before he grit his teeth and let his hand move towards where his weapons were. His eyes flashed, the tears that'd just filled them drying for a moment.

He was a ninja, damnit! This, was something he could take.

When the two mysterious people appeared he gave what can only be called a battle cry and prepared to attack – until he froze with disbelieving blinks when recognizing the very familiar faces. " You!" was all he could sputter.

Sai and Sakura didn't seem any less surprised. " Naruto?" Sai inquired. " What are you doing?"

His chest moved erratically once all pieces clicked together. His eyes stung, but he refused to become overwhelmed by emotions yet – this was too important. " I… I was just coming to Konoha." His eyes – filled with utter terror, he was fairly sure – flew towards an abnormally pale Sakura. " Sakura-chan, Sasuke…! He…!" Hard as he tried he couldn't get the rest of it voiced.

Sakura seemed to barely register that he'd spoken, though. Her face seemed alarmingly grim while she laid a hand to his shoulder, obviously to get his attention. " Naruto, I need you to focus, okay?" He was fairly sure she gulped. " You need to take us to Sasuke, right now. There's something important he needs to know."

He took in a sharp, shallow breath, if possible feeling even worse and dizzier than before. " What's… going on?"

* * *

Sasuke's legs seemed to weight a ton when he slowly climbed down the steep, dark stairs of what he guessed to be the Akatsuki's new hideout. Once coming downstairs he found a room to which only five candles gave light – and a dark figure sitting in a chair.

" Ah, finally!" Madara's voice was easy enough to recognize even before the man got up and walked to him like a predator approaching a prey. " I knew you'd come to your senses. I just didn't expect it to take this long."

His eyes narrowed although he knew it couldn't be seen. _I didn't really have a fucking choice, did I?_ " You… said you could make sure I and…" He swallowed down the rest, not wanting to think about anything so confusing at the moment. " So show me how."

-

Madara found it hard not to make a sound of contentment.

So Sasuke was already in his hands, along with the valuable cargo inside the Uchiha. Soon enough Naruto would follow and be dead almost as soon after – but Sasuke didn't have to be bothered with that knowledge at the moment, of course. Madara would get both Kyuubi, and an incredibly powerful ninja to parent and lead to the path he'd choose.

" Very well", he all but purred. Sasuke was, apparently, so deep in thought that the boy didn't notice how his hand glowed while it was laid to the boy's shoulder. " Follow me, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

By the time they rushed into Sasuke's team's hideout Naruto could barely breathe from all the running he'd done. His heart hammered as though an inch from exploding.

All he could do was hope, pray, that they weren't late.

Suigetsu's eyes flashed when the boy noticed them, and the boy's hand reached out towards what he knew to be weapons. " Hey, what the hell's going on?"

Although it took all he had Naruto managed to gather himself for some short words. " Sas… uke… Where…?"

Suigetsu's expression responded much too clearly long before words. " Sasuke left an hour ago. He said he was going to find Madara." The boy lifted his chin, eyes darkening. " He told us to make sure you won't follow him this time."

* * *

TBC, if you wish, just a lil' bit.

* * *

A/N: Oh dear… So the teme's now in Madara's hands, and Naruto is once again the one who finds out about everything the last. Dang! (growls, and swats the Uchiha's thick skull hard with frustration) Can a mess like this end happily?

Awkay, I'm in a pretty bad hurry right now, so I'm starting to tune out. But first… PLEASE, leave a review so I know what you thought about this one! And please do let me know what you think about that one more chappy added, pwease? (bats irresistible eyelashes and also offers some extra goody treats)

'Til next time, folks! I really hope you'll all join in to see what little there's left of this story. (Gosh, I can't believe this is almost over!) (starts bawling)

Peace out!

* * *

**cogasha**: 'Need I even mention how happy your review made me…? (grins with joy)

Mega-sized thank yous for the review! I really hope you'll find the rest worth looking forward to.


	8. The Final Battle

A/N: Phew! This chapter was a pretty hard ball to roll together, actually, but now – after a lot of brain wrestling (heh, don't think I've heard that one before) it's FINALLY done! (grins)

First off, gosh! I no longer have words to thank you after such a flood of INCREDIBLE reviews. You guys really like this story that much, huh? (sniffs with movement, then glomps) Thanks, you guys, from the very bottom of my heart! You're the BEST, dattebayo. **Responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy.

Oh yeah, and **as for the voting**. I'm both sorry and thrilled to announce that despite my promises, there'll be one – only **ONE** – more chapter coming after this one. It looks like it's much desired, and I've already started creating it, so if you still wish to see it, it may be launched pretty soon. (beams) Yay! Though I'm sad to let this story go. (sniffles)

Awkay, before I start going all emotional, let's rock! I truly hope you'll like this second last chappy.

* * *

**PHASE EIGHT: The Final Battle**

* * *

Naruto was furious. Or no, that was an understatement – he was _livid_.

Mad as hell at Sasuke for taking off again, not waiting for that one lousy hour.

Dangerously infuriated with Suigetsu and Juugo for holding them back too long.

And most of all, he was _furious_ – incensed, outraged, and a lot of things beyond – with Madara for coaxing Sasuke away and stealing the family he was about to get.

He was _done _with losing important people.

At that moment – as he continued destroying what was still left of the room Sasuke and he had shared less than a day ago – he didn't give a damn about Madara's reputation or any reason at all. All that made sense to him was that he was going smash that bastard like an insect. And if that man would dare to harm Sasuke or the baby…

The sudden familiar voice made him jolt despite his state of mind." Are you done now?" Sakura's tone carried several emotions from irritation to sadness, as did her eyes when he finally turned to look at her.

His chest moved rather erratically, and – unlike usually – the sight of the pinkette didn't calm him down. " No", he grumbled, his eyes narrowing slightly. He looked around the space around him, and felt embarrassed all of a sudden when seeing all the mess. He was as far from done as it got, though – the only thing restraining him was the fact that he'd ran out of things to throw.

Sakura didn't seem surprised. " Feeling any better, then?"

He knew he was acting like a child, but nonetheless folded his arms and all but pouted. " No." That answer was becoming a habit to him, it seemed. He kicked a pillow that lay helplessly before him, figuring that the damn thing deserved it. " I just… I wish this was over, okay?" _I want him _back, almost slipped by his tongue. Just then he yawned, absently realizing that he was exhausted after all the hassle. " We'll go after him tomorrow morning, right?"

Sakura gave a deep sigh, seeming to come close to rolling her eyes. " Naruto, it's already the next morning."

He blinked, baffled by this new piece of information. " Oh", was all he managed.

She smiled slightly. " Go and get some sleep, Naruto. And don't worry about the mess – I'll take care of it for you, just this once."

Despite the nightmarish situation he smiled a little as well. " Thanks, Sakura-chan. I'll see you in a bit." With that he left the room, deep in thought.

He'd go. But he was sure as hell not going to get any sleep.

-

As soon as Naruto left Sai appeared, blinked a little at the mess the blond had made. " Is he feeling any better?"

She suppressed a sigh while shaking her head and gritting her teeth. " No. He won't be anywhere near that until we get Sasuke back."

" I don't understand", Sai confessed, his expression extremely thoughtful. " If Sasuke hurts him that much… then why does he keep hanging on?"

All of a sudden a tiny sad smile appeared to Sakura's lips as she watched Naruto's distancing back. She suppressed a sigh. " I… hope you'll understand one day." She then forced herself to turn around. " Now move it. We have a lot to do."

* * *

Naruto didn't know how long he'd been stood outside the cave – all but struggling to do something as simple as breathe, images of all the nightmares he'd had lately flashing by his mind – when his ears suddenly perked up to sounds from the woods nearby.

Someone – several people even, perhaps – were approaching.

His eyes flashed while he took a defensive stance, preparing himself for absolutely anything. " Who's there?" he barked out, his skin sizzling. " I swear, if you…"

His mighty speech was, however, cut quite abruptly when something literally jumped on him, taking him down and… licking him?

He blinked while realization finally dawned. " Akamaru…?!" _What the heck…?_

" Good job, boy! I knew you'd find him!" That voice, he definitely recognized. From the woods emerged Kiba, a huge grin of relief and something else on his face. " Though it's not hard to find someone so loud."

Once again he blinked, his brain trying to catch on. " What… are you doing here?"

Kiba grew slightly more solemn. " We understood you were in a bit of trouble, so we decided to come and make sure you don't go and get yourself killed."

He quirked an eyebrow.

_We?_

" Sai sent us a message." His chest swelled with relief when Yamato also appeared from the forest – and tightened again when he saw that the man had Neji by his side. The Hyuuga's expression couldn't be read, no matter how hard he tried. " We know about Sasuke, and the… baby. We're here to help you find him."

His eyes lit up with something that couldn't be called anything else but hope. So… There really was still a chance that…! " Thanks", was all he managed to get out from what was lingering on his tongue while getting up.

Kiba laid a hand to his shoulder, grinning again. " No problem – it's already been calm for a while, anyway." The boy then wrapped his arms around himself. " Now let's go inside, okay? It's freezing out here."

When everyone else went into the cave, he was somewhat unnerved to notice that Neji stalled behind with him.

This was something they'd both been avoiding for a long time already, but now… The time for sorting things out had finally arrived.

" Look, Neji…" It was almost ridiculous how hard this was. He barely managed to look towards the Hyuuga. " Thanks, for coming."

For a couple of seconds the brunette looked at him with a somewhat strange expression, then shrugged in a seemingly nonchalant manner. " I… hope you'll get him back – both of them." With that the boy walked into the cave, not looking back.

Very slowly a tiny, somewhat frail trace of a smile rose to his lips.

The rift left by Hinata's death still existed. But maybe things would work out in the end, after all.

* * *

_**One Week Later.**_

* * *

Seven days, Sasuke counted somewhat grimly while measuring the floor of his new room with long, impatient steps, feeling badly nauseated whether it was because of his newest 'treatment session' or his condition. Seven days from when he'd left Naruto _again_, turned his back on everything he'd known once more.

He tried to tell himself the separation didn't affect him, that he didn't regret the decision he'd been forced to make. But the annoying dreams he'd been having every night – filled with a crying, screaming Naruto – whispered that perhaps his subconscious side wasn't so sure.

He growled and bit back the desire to punch the nearest wall.

What good did regrets do, anyway? There was no way to undo his deeds. And, as much as he hated the thought, there was a great chance he wouldn't be able to even try and make it up to Naruto this time.

Just then the baby kicked desperately inside him – trying to get out, gain his attention or perhaps console him, it seemed, although he hardly believed in such things. Without really paying attention to what he was doing he brought a hand to his mightily swollen stomach, and grit his teeth tightly to keep himself from speaking.

_I know. I hate this too._

He was brought out of those gloomy thoughts by a knock. His left eyebrow twitched with irritation. The _last_ thing he needed right now was a visit from Madara. Hadn't the man poked him enough already, done all imaginable tests and procedures? " What?"

However, this time it wasn't Madara disturbing his peace. Instead stood before him was Kisame. There was an expression he couldn't read on the man's face. " Hello there, Sasuke."

He frowned, his hand instinctively flying to a weapon. " What do you want?"

His hand grabbed the weapon all the way when the man entered, closing the door. " We don't have a lot of time, so you better listen to me carefully." The man's eyes flashed in a way that left no room for objections. " For your brother's sake."

He could tell his eyes flashed dangerously, because his Sharingan almost activated.

Kisame, however, still left no room for any arguments. " Madara is using you, Sasuke – I'm sure you're smart enough to suspect that, if not realize." The man's eyes traveled towards his stomach. " He isn't going to give up until he has what he wants."

He snorted, feeling the knot that'd been building up in his stomach grow tighter and bigger. " He's also the only one can keep this crap from ending to a disaster. So it's a lose or lose situation. Besides…" His eyes hardened while his other hand found its way to shield his baby bump again. " I'm going to find a way to stop him."

" How?" Kisame's voice was between amused and irritated. " Face it, Sasuke. Your Chakra isn't in your control anymore because of your condition, and you're unable to fight without paying a high price. Besides Madara may be a lot weaker than once upon a time, but he's far from helpless."

He quirked an eyebrow. " Then who's going to help me? You?" Seeing the man's expression, he just had to add. " Why would you do that?"

After a brief moment Kisame gave a somewhat dangerous, toothy grin and folded his arms. " Hn."

Before he could ask more – suspicion and several other emotions swelling somewhere inside him – the room's door opened again, this time without a knock. Madara's mask hid his face, but the man's posture stated everything necessary. " We've got… a situation." The man looked at him for a moment before focusing on Kisame. " Several ninjas from Konoha are heading this way. I already sent Konan to greet them, but I want you to go there as well. She's waiting for you."

Kisame moved after only a beat's pause. " Sure thing." The man grinned once more. " This should be fun."

Sasuke barely noticed the man's departure, because his head was buzzing and filled with entirely different matters.

They… were actually coming? Was Naruto with them?

_That damn idiot…!_

" Now, Sasuke-kun." For some reason Madara's voice sounded even more dangerous than usual. " It may still be too early, but I don't really have a choice. It looks like time's running out."

Those words definitely didn't sound promising. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed while he fought the urge to withdraw from the man. " Time for what?" he demanded in a somewhat dangerous tone.

Madara didn't answer. Instead the man moved, faster than he'd ever seen anyone operate.

Despite himself he gasped a little when feeling something sharp around his neck, and after a moment – his reflexes kicking in – found himself grabbing the man's throat, his eyes narrowing. " What… did you do?"

He could've sworn Madara smirked. " Oh, you'll see soon enough." Just then his head swam, and without being able to stop himself he slumped straight to the man's arms, his mind all but shutting down. " Sleep tight, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Far closer than Sasuke could've ever imagined, a familiar group was making its way towards the Akatsuki's new hideout.

Juugo frowned when looking at the stony, seemingly abandoned complex. " Are you sure that this is the right place?" the tall boy inquired.

Whereas Akamaru barked – sounding almost insulted – Naruto nodded sharply, his eyes not wavering from their destination. " I'm sure", the boy announced in a voice that dripped with tightly held back emotions. " I can sense it."

None of the others bothered to question that.

Suigetsu shrugged, appearing thoughtful. " Well, this looks like Madara's style."

They were just about to move on to the next part of their unusually hastily pulled together plan when Neji suddenly lifted his hand, a deep frown on his face. " Stop", the boy all but hissed.

Naruto – whose patience had already been stretched far beyond extreme – allowed a growl to escape. His fists balled, almost ready to move. " Why?" He would've screamed at the top of his lungs if he'd dared to.

Neji's eyes didn't move towards him, instead scanned around the environment. " We're not alone." The Hyuuga thought for a moment. " I can see one nearby, there's another slightly further. We've got three minutes, at best."

Naruto felt almost like someone had been pulling him to pieces, and only the shreds of his reason kept him from starting to scream.

They… They were _this_ close, and now…! This just wasn't possible!

" Naruto." It was surprising, really, that Yamato's voice managed to calm him down, though only just a little bit. The man's dark eyes were sombre when turning towards him – it was obvious the brunette didn't like what had to be said. " Run."

His eyes widened with disbelief and desperate hope while he and Sakura exclaimed together. " What?!" It was the pinkette who went on. " You can't…!"

Yamato all but ignored her – there was no time for fighting. " It looks like most of what's left of the Akatsuki is heading this way, and we're in a hurry. You have to go. Just…" The man grit his teeth. " Don't do anything stupid, understood? We'll follow you as soon as we can. Wait for us."

He nodded stiffly, his head whirring, and realized that there wasn't a word he would've managed to push through his throat. For a moment he thought about saying byes, but in the end couldn't bring himself to do it. After letting his gaze scan through his friends once more he turned around.

It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done to run away without looking back, but he didn't give himself another choice.

He wasn't about to fail again. This time he was going to fucking bring Sasuke home, whatever it'd take.

* * *

Konan's eyes had almost narrowed to slits while she sped towards where she could sense the Konohan ninjas. Just before she would've reached them she stood to the cover of trees, bringing a uncharacteristically gentle hand to her stomach while gathering her mind and body.

She wasn't able to use her most powerful technique – it would've jeopardized what was growing inside her – but she was going to fight with everything else she had. She was by no means a helpless person, someone who would've backed down from this.

She'd do this, for the sake of Nagato's memory.

Her ears twitched ever so slightly when she heard barely audible steps. Whether it was because of the tricks of light or something inside her, her eyes changed a second before she turned her gaze to see Kisame. " What the heck took you so long?" she all but snapped. " They're almost on the move already. We're in a hurry."

The expression on the male's face was the first warning sign she got. " You know, Konan…" There was a toothy grin on the man's face a split second before a sharp blade was pressed against her throat. " I'm almost sorry about this."

Her eyes flashed while her head caught up with what was happening, and a low snarl erupted. " You piece of…!"

Kisame's expression didn't falter.

At that moment she realized that there was only one thing she could do. Her hand moved swiftly.

* * *

When the Konohans stood nearby heard an explosion, they all instinctively prepared for a fight. In a matter of moments they understood what was going on when seeing a puff of smoke erupting nearby.

Kiba frowned. " A freaking smoke bomb?"

Before anyone got a chance to respond they all tensed up and Akamaru started to growl when no one other than Kisame appeared into view.

" What the hell do you want?" Suigetsu snapped in an instinct.

Kisame shrugged. " I just had a bit of fun, that's all." The man fixed his sword to a better position. " I'd go if I were you, by the way. One of those jackasses just took off, but it looks like whatever Madara's planning is going to be put into action soon." The male's eyes scanned through their crowd. " And you better go after Naruto before he does anything stupider than he already has."

They all expected the man to at least try to start out a fight. Shock could be read from their faces when instead Kisame started to walk away with careless steps.

_What the hell is going on here?!_, was the thought on everyone's minds.

There was, however, no time for questions. That's why Sakura, Yamato, Neji and Kiba started to speed off as soon as they could be sure there was no threat.

Suigetsu, however – accompanied by Juugo – stalled behind. His gaze turned towards the distancing blue skinned man. " Hey, Fish stick." To his surprise the other actually stopped. His gaze strayed to the man's sword. " We've still got some unfinished business."

Quite slowly, Kisame turned his gaze and gave him a rather dangerous grin. " I'm looking forward to it." Then, as though just remembering something, the man fished a tiny box and an envelope from the covers of his clothing. " Oh yeah, and when Sasuke's ready, give him these. Tell him… that his brother says hi."

Suigetsu caught the stuff easily once they were thrown to him and nodded, mildly confused. " Sure thing."

With a brief, half-mocking wave of hand Hoshigaki Kisame disappeared from view.

* * *

When he finally started to gain at least some form of consciousness, Sasuke's head swam while he drifted somewhere between unconsciousness and wakefulness. He tried to move his hands, only to discover that he didn't have the strength at the moment.

His head was groggy and sore, and he couldn't think properly, no matter how hard he tried. It took a long time before at least some pieces started to slide together.

Madara… That bastard had drugged him, betrayed him, tried to steal…

His eyes then flashed, and if his Chakra had been in his control Sharingan would've without a doubt activated.

The baby…

If that freak would…

" Trust me, Sasuke-kun", Madara's voice seemed to float into his consciousness from somewhere hopelessly far away. It took some moments before his eyelids inched halfway open, and he discovered the man hovering above him. " It's much, much easier on us all if you sleep through this."

He grit his teeth as hard as he could in his current condition, and tried his best to summon a glare. " … 'stard…"

Instead of showing any signs of being affected Madara stroked his hair, making him feel repulsed. " Shh… Just sleep, go to sleep… This won't take long."

He fought, as hard as was humanly possible, and in the end – fortunately, unseen by Madara – his hand moved. Before the man could ever catch what was happening he'd pushed a tiny, seemingly harmless needle that was dipped to green liquid through the man's skin.

It wouldn't take long, that was true; soon the potion would take Madara down. He just hoped…

In the end – as was inevitable – he lost the fight. He gave a deep sigh of near-defeat while his eyes slipped closed. It was tragic, perhaps, that he didn't even register the last thought he had before falling into a deeply troubled hue.

_Naruto…_

* * *

Naruto found himself _running_, not bothering to even think if the others were on his tails to help him or if he'd arouse unwanted suspicion. All that fit into his consciousness was Sasuke, along with those haunting nightmares he'd been having far too long.

He grit his teeth while running.

He was _not_ about to let that happen. He wasn't going to…!

Just then he – along with absolutely everything there was in him – froze when a voice rang inside his head. " _Do you want to find him, Naruto?_"

He grit his teeth even harder, feeling ready to kill. That bastard…! " Where the fuck is he?!" If Madara even heard him didn't matter the slightest as he bellowed at the top of his lungs. " What the hell have you done to him?!"

" _Now, now, Naruto. There's no need for a language like that._" Suddenly he saw a torch giving light to a nearby hallway. " _Just follow the light, why don't you? Whoever knows, maybe it'll lead you exactly where you want to go._"

He knew it was insane and dangerous, that the results could turn out to be fatal. But there was no way he could've held himself back when he was _this_ close.

Taking a deep breath, he started to follow the dark hallway and the torch lighting it, his steps practically soundless and filled with tension. A part of him wondered if he really wanted to see what was at the end of this journey.

And then – as suddenly as the hallway had started – it came to an end. It took his all not to scream at the top of his lungs at what he found.

There, on a chilling table, lay Sasuke, completely unmoving and so pale that it immediately made his heart skip several beats. There was some blood on the Uchiha's clothes.

Had… he really been late, after all? Were Sasuke and their baby…?

_No, no fucking way…!_

_  
_He was already moving long before that thought was finished, stood before the raven with legs that barely supported his weight. Fortunately a quick examination – which he made with great wariness – erased his worst fears. Sasuke was still alive, still breathing, still with him.

" I hope you don't mind." His skin crawled the second he heard Madara's voice, and the sensation didn't ease at all when his flaming eyes turned to see the man approaching. " I had to sedate him for the… operation."

His eyes narrowed while his body shifted, lingering halfway between attacking the man and protecting the young Uchiha. " What the hell did you do to him and the baby?!"

" Idiot." The sound of Sasuke's somewhat scratchy, rather quiet voice made him jump. His eyes were wide when turning to meet the raven's half lidded ones. " Don't… do this. Don't let him…" With that the boy's eyes fell closed again.

Panic shot through him, hurting more than any weapon. " Sasuke?"

" Did he fall back asleep?" Madara's voice made him feel sick to his stomach. " Pity. It would've been interesting if he'd been awake to see this."

He felt heat building up behind his eyes, and very slowly all his restraints started to crumble. " I'm not letting you hurt him, you bastard – either one of them!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, shaking with such rage he hadn't felt since Hinata's death. " I'm not letting you take away everything that's valuable to me!"

Was that… a chuckle he heard? " Are you actually trying to threaten me?" Madara inquired with deep amusement. " You can't even ask for the Nine-Tailed's help. So how are you supposed to keep up with me even for the first minutes?"

He grit his teeth.

If only he'd been able to tell himself that the bastard wasn't right…!

But then again, there was no way in hell he was going to give up.

His eyes flashing, he prepared himself. " Someone's said you're unstoppable", he remarked in a voice that wasn't his. " I'm about to prove them wrong."

The fight itself was pretty much nothing but blur to him. He remembered spinning around, pushing his Chakra to the very extreme until he was _sure_ he wouldn't be able to take it any longer, recalled actually delivering several hits but also being hurled against the floor and the walls.

While hitting the cold stone floor once more he screamed loudly when feeling something inside him become jarred. Taste of blood filled his mouth, and he felt something warm trickle to his lips. He coughed while struggling himself to a sitting position, and discovered with a wince that his wounds _hurt_.

Things were _not_ going great. And slowly yet steadily a part of him started to wonder if Madara had been right with his prediction of the outcome of this battle…

" Naruto!" Sakura's familiar, rather scared voice made his eyes widen, and a flare traveled through him. His friends were stood by the room's doorway, held back by something invisible. " Stop it! You're…!" He couldn't hear the rest her lips formed, because just then his gaze turned free of his will and everything inside him startle to bubble.

For there, still on that table, Sasuke continued to lay. The slightly bloodied raven wasn't awake, wasn't moving – hard as he tried, he couldn't even tell if the boy was breathing anymore.

And suddenly he was screaming without even realizing it, filled with something so strong that it was almost enough to suffocate him.

He wasn't going to lose Sasuke and their baby! He wasn't going to give up!

Madara's next hit – unexpectedly as it came – didn't manage to surprise him. " Are you ready to continue?"

He took in a deep, slightly shuddering breath, feeling how pretty much all the Chakra he still had left activated and flowed towards the surface. _That bastard isn't going to get away with this!_ His eyes narrowed while he transformed to his Sage-mode. " Hell yeah!"

The next round of the battle was far harsher than the previous one. Kicks, hits and strikes of a variety of Jutsus were exchanged while they spun and jumped around each other, their eyes never showing signs of giving up.

All of a sudden Madara's hand was pressed against his forehead, and he gasped under the strangest sensation of suffocating. Quite absently he could tell his friends tried to show up to help him, but a force field of some sort still held them back. The man's eyes gleamed behind the mask. " You should've given up while you still could, brat."

Only seconds later – just as he was about to give in – words he'd heard so very many months ago appeared into his ears. Words of a loving parent.

/ _" You'll figure it out some day. I know you will. A parent always believes their kid can do anything, no matter what."_ /

And suddenly his eyes were glowing once more – not with red this time, but with a blue fire none of the room's occupants had seen before – when he met Madara's gaze with no fear or remorse. This would _end_. " I'm going to fucking stop you", he hissed.

Madara, who seemed to sway just then – as though very exhausted all of a sudden – never even got the chance to say a word before he'd taken a kunai and slashed by the stunned man's eyes. A scream of utter pain along with blood followed while the mighty Sharingan was shredded to pieces.

He felt sick to his stomach and out of breath while he gasped, only the words echoing inside his head pushing him forth.

/ _" The Leaf will grow again… It's in your hands now, Naruto."_ /

Once more – for the final time, perhaps – he gathered his strength and Chakra, determined to do so before Madara would recover.

Even if he wouldn't be able to kill Madara, at least he could make damn sure the man wouldn't be a threat any longer.

For the sake of Konoha, his baby, Sasuke, and all his friends.

He could no longer see properly, because his eyes and head were filled with a haze that seemed to wrap around absolutely everything, helped him resign himself from caring about pretty much _anything_.

All that mattered to him was rage, and overcoming it before it'd destroy him.

He gave a loud scream while everything started to blur.

" NARUTO!"

-

Suigetsu and Juugo, who were currently almost in the hideout, both flinched backwards when there was a loud, nearly deafening explosion.

Suigetsu emitted something that sounded quite a bit like a gasp. " What the hell happened?!"

Juugo didn't have an answer.

* * *

_**Three Days Later.**_

* * *

It wasn't rare that Tsunade felt like going at a killing rampage during meetings with the council. Never before, though, had she experienced anything like she did that day, when she stood before a group she considered idiots and was much too familiar with the fact that she wasn't in her full strength yet.

" He's a criminal, damnit!" a weasel-looking man who's name she couldn't even remembered piped out in a voice that made her headache escalate even further, banging his pathetically tiny fist to a table. " Whatever some of you seem to see in that traitor, he's _not_ someone we could trust. The last time we gave him a chance he caused a riot!"

By then she just couldn't control herself any longer. " It's true that Sasuke has made a lot of mistakes." She used his name purposely; perhaps when hearing it these people would see the boy as something else than a case or a faceless enemy. " But he's also just a child, don't you see that?" She grit her teeth. " When his parents died Konoha practically abandoned him – his skills were praised and he received education, but no one paid any attention to his mental health, he had barely any adults really looking after him. I'm not letting him become abandoned again, especially now of all times."

The weasel frowned – apparently the man wasn't as stupid as she'd assumed. " What's that supposed to mean?"

Her jaw tightened as she weighed her options. Of course she knew that she was basically betraying Naruto and Sasuke, but in a situation like this… " He's pregnant." It was almost terrifying how easily those words flowed out.

For several moments the room filled with complete, utter silence. Then – so suddenly that she almost flinched backwards – a explosion like noise erupted as everyone seemed to speak at once, each fervent to be heard.

" How the hell is that possible?!"

" Who's the father?"

Her steadily growing irritation added volume to her tone. " None of those things matter right now!" She grit her teeth to calm herself before speaking again. " There's something I want to show you."

* * *

The past three days had been some of the longest in Sasuke's life.

Not only had he been forced to stay in the hospital to make sure he and the baby were alright (according to Sakura they'd been saved in the last minute), plus gone through all those interrogations and trials, but he was also forced to just watch as Naruto slept on, so very close yet out of his reach.

He'd never felt as helpless in his entire life, and it made him so outraged that he could barely keep himself from destroying the hospital room around him. He'd never been good with frustration.

" It's been days. You do know that, right?" Somehow it felt like an insult of some sort that the expression on Naruto's unconscious face didn't change the slightest. " You've always been slow, but you've never been this badly late before."

There was a tiny, barely audible sound most likely from the hallway, and embarrassed as it made him he shuddered, as though having expected the voice to come from the blond before him. The boy was, however, perfectly still, and his already tight chest knotted still.

He raised his hand, and for just a moment he thought about swatting the Uzumaki's head, as though that would've been enough to bring the boy back. Instead, however, he brushed away a strayed strand of golden hair. He hated mess. " You have to wake up, you idiot", he murmured in a voice even he didn't recognize. His eyes stung and felt oddly hot, but he barely even noticed. Tossing aside all his pride, he took one of the blond's limp hands and squeezed, feeling something inside him twinge when there was absolutely no reaction. " The baby…" Surprisingly enough, the word came almost scarily easily, and didn't make him want to gag. " It's going to need you, don't you understand? If I don't…" He swallowed thickly, his eyes darkening. " It's going to need at least one parent. So you better not leave it all alone, got that?"

The silence – so heavy and uncomfortable that it made him feel like screaming – continued, and his eyes narrowed under the strangest sensation of betrayal. For some reason the blond's words from not too long ago reiterated inside his head.

/ _" I love you."_ /

His eyes narrowed even further. There was just too much sorting out left undone…

_That damn moron is going to drive me insane_, he mused sullenly.

Emitting a deep sigh, he glanced towards Naruto's face once more. " You can be pretty damn frustrating sometimes, you know?"

There was still no response, and the silence from before grew even heavier, almost more than he could bear. As the kicking that'd been going on in his abdomen almost more than he could take during the past three days started again, he could only wonder if he'd make it through this all without losing the last of his sanity.

At that moment, feeling all anger, frustration and ache flooding through, he did the only thing he really could.

He buried his face into one hand to keep himself from screaming.

-

Sasuke, of course, didn't know about the pairs of eyes watching him.

Had the situation been less heartbreaking, Tsunade – who was stood behind a window opening to the room – would've smirked victoriously as she noticed the looks the council members darted towards the couple. " Do you see that?" she stated, her voice oddly choked. " Does that boy still look like a heartless monster to you? Do you still think he's incapable of caring?"

Somehow, the silence she got was the loudest possible answer. Yet it didn't feel like a victory at the moment.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha did not feel nervous easily. That's why it almost infuriated him how most of his muscles twitched while he took a stand before the council, which was looking at him with what looked like bloodthirsty eyes.

They'd called him in faster than he'd expected – too fast. That was either a very good thing, or the worst possible.

Suigetsu and Juugo were currently staying in a guarded 'safe house' on probation, that much Sakura had told him. He doubted he'd get as much mercy.

Tsunade, who'd been stood in the room's shadows, was the one to step forth and speak first. " So, Uchiha… I'm sure you're aware of the size of the mess you've made."

He felt like scoffing, but fortunately managed to control himself. He'd had about a million hearings like this during the past three days, and whenever he went somewhere a group of guards 'escorted' him, and he'd seen the results of his deeds – he had a pretty good picture. "Yes."

Tsunade appeared at least somewhat satisfied with this. "Good. In that case we can keep talking." She folded her arms, honey coloured eyes smouldering. "Your little stunt could've easily led to the destruction of Konoha. If Danzou had won the fate of those who fought against him wouldn't have been a merciful one. You endangered them, yourself _and_ Naruto. Not to mention that you betrayed the trust of Konoha _again_." She gathered herself for a long moment, anger apparently almost boiling over. "It's going to take you a long time to restore that trust, at best – I'm not sure if people will ever trust you again. And that makes it very hard to build up your defence." She took a deep breath. " Do you have anything to say as your defence?"

Everything underneath his skin seemed to be burning, and it took a lot of him not to let the emotions show. If anything his eyes hardened even further while there was some kicking in his stomach. _This doesn't sound good_**.** " No." He was surprised by that response, but then again… What good would _any_ words do? Apparently, however, despite that reasoning his tongue soon gained a life of its own. He felt nauseated and so vulnerable it infuriated him. " I'm guilty – we all know that, and I'm sure that's what you want to hear. I've done idiotic things for reasons I don't care to explain here. I've hurt a lot of people who care about me. The price is yours to determine." He was so sick of this – he just wanted to hear his sentence and get this over with.

For a moment shocked silence filled the room, until Tsunade spoke once more in a slightly softer tone. " I'm sure you understand that we can't just let you walk on the loose anymore, Sasuke. But you won't be given the capital punishment, either. After all…" Her eyes swept towards his baby bump. " … we have two people to consider." She went on just as the wait got almost unbearable. " You'll go to prison until the child is born – what happens after that is entirely up to you. You'll start serving your sentence in one week. However… It's come to our attention that you need medical attention during that time."

He frowned and folded his arms, not liking the stares towards his bump any more than his conclusion. " What… does that mean?" he asked in a somewhat sharp tone.

Tsunade's eyes seemed to flash when light hit them. " It means, that instead of a jail you'll be spending that time in the hospital's prison ward. And, as I said, what happens after that is up to you." She also folded her arms. " Do you accept this?"

Mixed feeling crossed his body. Did he honestly have a choice? Besides, despite that fact that he despised hospitals from the bottom of his heart, they were much better than prisons, and he knew this sentence was already far less than he would've deserved. He didn't want to make his situation worse than it was. " Yes. I accept."

" Good." Tsunade looked at Ibiki and another guard he didn't recognize. " Escort him out, will you? And make damn sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

His head was buzzing uncomfortably with disbelief while he walked out, barely even notice the men following.

Was… this really it? Was it over?

So deep in thought he was, that he almost walked into Sakura, who was running in a mad speed. He frowned at the look on her face. " What's wrong?"

She panted for a moment, green eyes still wide, before managing to wheeze. " Naruto, he… He's awake." She then smiled radiantly, as though only then realizing her words. " He's okay, Sasuke."

He stared at her for the longest moment, his body wanting to do so many things that it shut down. In the end he didn't start running towards the hospital, didn't even speak. Instead he turned around sharply and rushed into the nearest bathroom.

-

Back in the room Sasuke had just left several pairs of eyes turned towards Tsunade, who seemed to be deep in thought. " I really hope you know what you're doing", one of them – a woman with chestnut coloured hair in the Hokage's age – finally spoke, voicing everyone's thoughts. " How can be sure he's worthy of this chance?"

Tsunade seemed to sigh while leaning back in her chair. " We can't", the woman confessed in the end, her voice slightly sharper than usual. " Only time will tell."

" We're not pleased with that." Some nervous looks and glances were exchanged when an elderly man – who'd once been a loud supporter of Danzou – stated in a screeching voice while getting up slowly. " There's a rather sure way to find out what his intentions are."

Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed. It didn't take a genius to understand that she didn't like this one bit. " What do you have in mind?" she bit out.

The man's eyes flashed dangerously." A test."

* * *

TBC, if you wish, for only one more chappy.

* * *

A/N: Uh-huh, now why don't I like the sound of THAT…? (winces)

BUT, Madara's been destroyed, and Sasuke FINALLY starts to realize just how important Naruto and the baby are to him. 'Bout bloody time, I'd say! Let's just hope that whatever the heck Madara did to him during that one week helps him make it through the delivery alive. (gulps thickly)

Btw... I hope the battle between Naruto and Madara wasn't a huge letdown. it was just that the chappy was already ridiculously long and I had to cut from somewhere, so... (winces) Plus, battle scenes seriously aren't my strongest field.

Awkay, it's very – VERY – late around here, and I've gotta wake up early, so I have to tune out for now. PLEASE, do leave review – they'd make me shoot out the last chappy all the faster, ya know? (wink, wink)

Until next, and (sniffs) as for this story last time! I REALLY hope ya'll all join in.

Take care!

* * *

**azh_hikari: **Dirturbingly brilliant?! WOAH! (blushes radiantly) GOSH, thank you so much for such an incredible compliment! Though, I guess I should say 'sorry', too, for messing your emotions and brain. (grins sheepishly)

Colossal thank yous for the absolutely amazing review!

I really hope you'll be sticking around.


	9. The Will of Fire

A/N: Nope, you guys weren't seeing wrong – after this chappy this story IS completed (even remembered to mark it as such)! (sniffs) Incredible, ne? After all those extra chappies and stuff, this story is now seeing the finishing line. (starts bawling)

Awkay, BUT before letting you get to the story… THANK YOU so much for all those reviews! (HUUUUUGS) They were particularly dear to me, because I really needed them in the process of wrestling with this final chappy. (hugs again, and hands over tons of muffins)

Heh, I think I've been stalling enough as it is, so with no further ado… Here's the final chappy! I really, REALLY hope you'll like it, even though it became a bit long! (grins sheepishly)

* * *

**PHASE NINE: The Will of Fire**

* * *

_**One Week Later.**_

* * *

Everyone who'd ever crossed paths with him knew that Naruto was certainly not a coward. But nonetheless his knees felt oddly weak when he entered the small house where Iruka was staying, almost afraid of what he'd find.

Sure enough, Sakura had told him that there was pretty much no reason to worry – the teacher was still much weaker than before and remembered barely a thing, but at least now the man was able to talk and react properly. And Iruka actually remembered something about him, which amazed everyone taking care of the man.

Many would've been flattered beyond any belief by such, and a part of Naruto was. But he was also more than slightly scared. With a past like his, it was intimidating to be that important to someone.

He, however, skilfully wiped away all signs of nervousness and insecurity when facing the man, who'd been reading a book. "Hey", he greeted, as casually as if it'd been just yesterday they'd met, like nothing in particular had happened during the time passed.

Quite rapidly Iruka's mildly surprised brown eyes rose to meet his. In a matter of moments a warm smile appeared, along with something that looked like tension. Was the man… worried? "So you're finally back", the brunette stated in a surprisingly firm and unwavering voice that gave away some worry. "I've… been trying to ask about you, but… They wouldn't… tell me."

He felt a sharp twinge of guilt. "Sorry. It's just… been a long couple of months." That was a huge understatement, really, but he didn't want to flood out all the crap. He went on before the other could say or ask anything. "So, how have you been? Are you feeling better?" He knew he was being dumb and awkward, but at the moment he couldn't come up with any other way to proceed.

Iruka, of course, saw right through him – which gave him a nice twig of hope that perhaps things would be normal in the end, after all. The man's eyes were almost as sharp as before when locking with his. "Naruto, don't play… that game with me. What's wrong?"

He knew it was something the medics treating Iruka would've probably slapped him for, but he couldn't help it under _that_ look. During the following twenty minutes he gave his former teacher a rather stripped version of the road Sasuke and he had gone through. The heartache and betrayal, as well as the slowly deepening bond he now wouldn't trade for anything else in the entire world.

When he was finally done he was so exhausted that he practically panted, and for some reason his eyes stung. "So…" He emitted something between a gulp and a chuckle. "We're a couple of lunatics, aren't we?"

"Look, Naruto", Iruka stated, as though tasting the name. There was a gentle look in the man's brown eyes. "I… would lie saying I remember everything about you, but… I can tell how much you care about him. So… Don't give up. Don't let him… push you away."

In his current turmoil Naruto didn't manage to become surprised by the fact that the man knew the target of his affection was a 'he', nor did he notice the slightly saddened undertone. All he could do was react.

At first a bright, determined smile appeared while his eyes watered ever so slightly. Then – so suddenly the teacher shivered with surprise – he wrapped his arms tightly around the man.

There was nothing else that would've needed to be said.

* * *

The first days after Naruto woke up had been uncomfortable to Sasuke and him. It took the first four days before Sasuke actually showed up to meet the blond, and even then it was only because the Uzumaki was discharged, which meant that they'd have to try and live together for a few days.

In many ways it felt like they'd jumped backwards in time, either to those days of early teenage when they'd barely known what they were to each other, or to the time when the Uchiha had first been put into a house arrest into Naruto's house.

That day – with some nausea lingering and the baby's movements feeling extremely uncomfortable to him – Sasuke was feeling particularly moody while he stood before one of the windows of the blond's house, watching how raindrops slid down the glass. "It's raining again", he half-growled rather pointlessly.

Naruto made a sound that told the boy wasn't far from laughing. "Quit complaining, teme. It feels good to be inside during a weather like this." The boy then got up, and before he could do a thing to stop it a pair of arms had been wrapped around him. "Are you thinking about tomorrow?"

He never realized that he forgot to fight against the blond's hold. This was his last day of freedom… "Yes." His eyes narrowed a little while he cast an accusing half-glare towards his rather impressive bump. "And with this you'd be grumpy, too."

He wasn't sure if he wanted to punch or smile when Naruto chuckled a bit. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

He shivered against the warm breath that tickled his skin, and bit back either a groan or a moan.

These hormones were driving him insane!

Just then – most likely to Naruto's salvation – there was a knock. It was startling how cold he felt when the boy let go and walked up to open. They were both mildly surprised to see somewhat solemn Shikamaru.

"What's up?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly tight.

Shikamaru seemed to sigh. "Tsunade… told me to give you this." The boy gave the blond an envelope with apparent reluctance. "Just… Sorry." With those odd parting words the boy disappeared into the rain.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow while watching the closed door with suspicion. "That was odd."

" Hmh." For some reason hearing something like that from the usually talkative blond's mouth sounded foreign and bizarre.

His eyes moved instinctively to the paper the blond was currently staring at, and with cold shivers he _knew_. He frowned, far too proud to show any other signs of being affected. "Is… Tsunade sending you off to a mission already?"

Naruto nodded slowly, obviously still deep in thought. "Yeah." The boy's voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and a part of him would've wanted to shake the other to make it normal again. "It's… just a delivery mission, or something. To Suna." There was a tiny pause. "It says here that I'll be leaving tomorrow."

In an instant pieces clicked to him. It wasn't a coincidence that Naruto was sent away now that his sentence was about to start; it was clear the new council wanted to keep them apart for whatever the reason. Even Tsunade's power of keeping their so called family together only went so far.

He folded his arms, feeling rather cold although the apartment was warm. "How long are you going to be away?"

How long it took Naruto to respond was a loud enough warning. The boy's gaze was beyond troubled when meeting his. "Almost two months."

Already as the first five seconds of shock struck him paralyzed, he knew that any normal, reasonable human being would've taken the full advantage of the one day they still had. They had tons of things to work on before their lives would be turned upside down – this was their last chance for that, especially seeing as after the childbirth he might…

But he, of course, wasn't reasonable, especially when it came to these things. That's why instead of starting to talk he started to head towards the kitchen. "The tea should be ready by now", he all but muttered.

Naruto, however, was far from a quitter. That's why he probably shouldn't have been surprised when he felt a firm hold on his wrist. "Sasuke." The boy's blue eyes smouldered when meeting his. "We've been through too much shit to fool around like this, okay? I'm sick of this dancing around."

The boy held his wrist, no matter how hard he fought, and little by little he started to understand that there was no escape.

He'd already waited almost too long once, a part of him tried to message. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't it about time to finally just sputter it out loud?

Yeah, right. Like it'd ever be that simple with him.

But then again… It was obvious that Naruto and Sakura had done a lot of growing up during the past years. Perhaps it was time to show that he'd done some as well, even if the humiliation would kill him.

He looked downwards. "About what you said, before leaving the cave." His eyes narrowed with fury and self-hatred. He was going to do this, damn it! "I feel so, too." He'd never felt as humiliated in his entire life; he only hoped the idiot was happy now that he'd made a clown of himself.

Gosh, he could almost feel Naruto's smile! A soft, comfortingly warm hand touched his cheek. "I know, teme." Had he been a little less prideful, his eyes might've widened when he felt something moist brushing his skin, making it tingle. "I know."

They remained there – absolutely still and silent, not quite touching yet close enough to _feel_ each other – far longer than he would've ever found acceptable. Perhaps they'd been needing this, after all, he mused.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" There was a strange look in Naruto's eyes he couldn't recognize while the boy finally spoke and moved. "For your information, you'll spend tonight in my bed. There's no way in hell I'd let you further than that."

He forgot to resist and emit biting remarks of protest when the boy wrapped a pair of arms around him, pulling him close to a soft, warm body. In an instant warmth he couldn't understand shot through him and he buried his face into the Uzumaki's chest to keep everything there was spinning inside his head from showing.

Although he was far from ready to admit it out loud, at that moment – with Naruto holding him humiliatingly tenderly and the baby kicking persistently – he felt happier than ever in his life. And he could only hope the peace would get to last…

A distant part of him wondered if the worst was already behind or yet to come.

When he woke up the next morning, Naruto had already left. An hour later he was taken to custody.

* * *

_**Five Weeks Later.**_

* * *

Saying that the past weeks had been some of the longest in Naruto's life would've been an enormous understatement.

True enough, it'd been good to spend time in Suna's warmth, to do some talking with Gaara – they'd barely even met since all the hassle with Konoha had started. But it was unbearably painful to be away from Sasuke, especially now that their child could be born any given day.

He wanted to be there for his family, damn it! How could the council be filled with idiots who didn't see that?!

He kicked a stone that'd appeared out of nowhere, and watched with vague pleasure how it bounced away, like running from him. It was good to see that at least _something_ still bent under his will.

"That doesn't really make you feel better, does it?" Gaara's voice surprised him so that he almost jumped. The redhead was stood behind him with a somewhat thoughtful expression. "I've tried that millions of times, so I should know."

"Then what helps?" He sounded pathetic and desperate but he didn't care – he'd been stretching the limits of his sanity way more than long enough. Wind blew sand into his eyes, making them sting a little. He kicked the stone again, and noticed with deep distaste that it didn't fly as far this time. "It's not like I'd be allowed to go back yet."

"Actually, you are." If it'd been someone else he was looking at he would've said Gaara seemed cheeky while folding his arms. "You can go home if I kick you out of here, no? You staying against my will would cause a diplomatic conflict. I'm sure even those idiots of the council understand that."

For several moments he merely stared at his friend, baffled by those words and the new sensation of hope he barely dared to believe real. Then – so suddenly it probably surprised them both – a massive smirk appeared to his face, and for a couple of fleeting moments he hugged the redhead tightly before starting to dash away. "Thank you!" He waved a busy hand, his mind speeding a million miles per hour. "I'll write you as soon as I can, okay?"

He was finally going home, finally getting to see Sasuke.

He just hoped from the bottom of his heart that it wasn't too late already.

-

As soon as Naruto had left Temari appeared to stand next to a somewhat thoughtful Gaara. There was a look of mild amusement on her face. "So he's still the same as always."

Gaara nodded rather slowly, the thoughtfulness only growing deeper. "Yeah."

She smiled softly a little – which was something only few people were allowed to see – and ruffled her brother's hair roughly. "Stop looking like that and come with me. There's a busy day ahead."

* * *

_**Five Days Later.**_

* * *

Although Sasuke's silent turmoil – which the raven would've _never_ spoken out loud – was almost unbearable for her to watch, Sakura found it also amusing to observe the Uchiha.

The baby bump, which had grown significantly during the past weeks, made the 'tough and invincible' boy seem extremely soft, and it was adorable to see how the raven gave his stomach constant secret brushes without noticing it. As off lately the boy had also been hassling around – moving furniture, all but decorating, walking around restlessly… If she hadn't known better, she would've said the Uchiha was nesting.

"You're staring."

A slight hint of a blush appeared to her face. She hadn't even realized she'd been looking. "Sorry. It's just…" The rest disappeared into the murk of her mind.

It was weird seeing a guy she'd once been head over heals for in that state – glowing, seething inside and missing someone else so badly at the same time. And it was even stranger to feel sympathy instead of jealousy.

Years, apparently, did miracles.

She cleared her throat, remembering that there was actually something else than gawking and thinking she'd appeared to do. "I… came to make another checkup. _The day_ is close – I need to make sure you and the baby are okay." She didn't feel like mentioning that the fact that he still had symptoms – nausea, dizziness, headaches – unnerved her quite a bit, seeing as they should've disappeared a long time ago and there was no visible explanation to them. She also didn't like the mark that'd appeared nearby Sasuke's stomach after the boy's stay with Madara. Had that bastard done something to him, or the baby?

Sasuke gave her a weird look while reluctantly starting to take off his shirt. "What's going on?" The voice was tight and demanding – there was no dodging this one.

She sighed heavily, trying her hardest to figure out a proper way to set her words. "I… just want to take a closer look at a couple of things, okay?" She frowned when seeing the flash in his eyes while he tensed up. "Stop worrying. You're stressing out far too much as it is."

Sasuke was most likely about to snap something, until the boy's expression suddenly transformed into such she didn't recognize. Before she could even ask what was wrong the Uchiha emitted a low growl.

She frowned, and was by his side faster than should've been humanly possible. "Sasuke?" The boy took three deep, sharp breaths, but didn't manage to speak from another, louder groan. "Sasuke, what…?" Just then all words got stuck in her throat when she saw the wet substance on the floor, right below the boy.

There was only one thing that fit into her mind while her eyes widened. " Oh shit…"

* * *

Naruto could barely breathe while he burst through the hospital's doors, his head spinning so badly that he could only just distinguish the faces of the people who were giving him weird looks. He didn't care about them, didn't give a damn about the fact that he could barely stand. There was only one thing that mattered. In the end he almost ran into a medic he didn't recognized.

"Sasuke…" He was glad his voice sounded strong enough to be heard. "Where…?"

Just then Ino appeared into the corridor. The look on her pale face was far more than enough to alarm him, although relief flashed by her eyes when she saw him. "Naruto, thank heavens! You better hurry!"  
He wondered if it should've been humanly possible to feel as cold as he did then. All his exhaustion flew away. "What's wrong?"

The blonde swallowed thickly. "Sasuke… He went into a labour, and… I think something's wrong."

* * *

Sasuke had _always_ hated hospitals. And his love certainly hadn't escalated during the what felt like eternity he'd already spent in the painfully bright, sickeningly white room that smelled like death, more pain than he felt ready to take at the moment flooding through him over and over again.

It was pathetic, a part of him mused, how badly he would've wanted Naruto there.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's face held so much panic that it made the ache inside him intensify tenfold. "I know it hurts, but we can't give you any more medication, and we can't take care of this with a operation, so you need to help us get the baby out safely. Do you understand?" Seeing his expression she went on, most likely trying to keep him awake with talking. Was she… holding his hand, or was he imagining things? "These are contractions, okay? You… You've already opened up enough. The baby's coming, do you hear me? So stay with us, and this'll all be over. You've gotta stay awake, for you and the baby's sake!"

He truly wished he would've been able to trust her words, to relax and get this crap over with. But the pain… It was just too much, and he was starting to feel so tired that his eyelids drooped against his will.

Couldn't they see that he was tired, damn it? Why wouldn't they go away and leave him alone, let him rest and gather his strength?

He'd never, ever felt such pain in his life, and despite all his pride he screamed at the top of his lungs, squeezed his eyes tightly shut and hoped from the bottom of his heart that this nightmare would've been over already.

This was just too much – it felt like someone had been cutting him open. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hang on.

"Sasuke!" He barely heard Sakura's voice – it was so very hard to think… "Sasuke, damn it, stay awake!"

He responded with a rather pathetic moan, and almost slipped right under already until he heard a voice that despite all pain managed to steal his attention. "What…? What the hell's going on?!"

-

The moment Naruto burst into the room – badly out of breath and his legs so weak he swayed – three things caught all his attention, made his stomach curl up to a tiny ball.

Sasuke was pale, far more so than he'd ever seen the Uchiha, and it was obvious the boy was barely hanging on to consciousness. There was blood, so much that he feared he'd start to feel sick, and he couldn't restrain himself from wondering how much more there could be, before… The final thing was Sakura, who seemed dangerously close to utterly petrified, and he knew something was very, very wrong.

"What…? What the hell's going on?!"

He could see and hear Sakura swallow before she finally spoke with apparent reluctance. "Naruto, he… he won't stop bleeding, okay?" She shook her head, appearing helpless as well as more scared than he'd ever seen her. "The baby's almost out, but… I'm not sure how much longer he'll stay awake, if he'll be able to push."

For three seconds – he had no idea how he could tell so clearly, especially since the time felt like three hours – he stood utterly still. Then, so abruptly that he scared Sakura as well as the barely teenage training medic helping her, he sprinted to motion and dashed to the Uchiha's side. Whether he was allowed to do so or not he didn't care while he grabbed the boy's hand. "Sas… Sasuke, come on, damnit!" He sounded like a pathetic child with his whimpering voice, but he didn't care, didn't even notice. "You… You've gotta push, okay? Just… Just stay awake until you've pushed, and it's all over, please."  
Very slowly Sasuke's eyes inched open, just a little bit but still enough to give his raging heart some reassurance. Sweat glimmered on the pained boy's forehead. " …'ruto…"

He nodded almost anxiously, everything inside him moving a million miles per hour. "Yeah, I'm here. I'm here, and… and I'm not letting you slip away this time, okay? So…" He swallowed laboriously while squeezing the Uchiha's hand even more tightly. "So push, please. Just push, and the pain will stop, I promise."

-

Sasuke's groggy, almost shutting down mind realized that he'd probably never seen as much fear as he did just then in Naruto's wide, oddly moist eyes.

Just once more… Just one more fucking push, and it'd be all over. He could do that – right? He was so tired, he wanted this to be over so badly…

With that thought pushing him forth he gathered absolutely everything there was in him and screamed, unwisely using the last of his breath to that inhuman, heart pulling sound. He was fairly sure his back arched while he threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut to close them from the reality, the pain ravishing his whole being wiping away all reason. Something hot traveled down his cheeks while the agony – if possible – intensified still, consuming his all and forcing him to scream although he didn't even have a breath.

Dear god, he couldn't do this…!

"Sasuke!"

He was fairly sure there was a popping, or perhaps rupturing sound before everything – including the pain – disappeared into a comforting white hue.

The next time he opened his eyes he blinked thrice at what he found, and frowned.

There was no hospital, no pain, no Sakura, and most definitely no Naruto.

Feeling a tinge of fright he would've certainly never admitted out loud he gasped faintly, his hand instinctively flying to his stomach – and he blinked again when discovering it perfectly flat.

_What…?!_

"I hoped I wouldn't have to see you again this soon." The far too familiar voice was filled with what he instantly recognized as sadness. "They didn't give me much time, so we have to talk fast."

Very slowly – reluctantly and fearing that he wouldn't meet what he expected at the same time – he turned around. Everything inside him turned cold when the one he met was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

His mouth opened several times, but even a breath wouldn't come out.

He had far too much to say to this man – who'd once been his most important person, who'd killed his parents, who'd given up _everything_ to protect him and Konoha, who'd shattered him, who'd died for his sake.

" What… are you doing here?" _And where's_ here? He didn't have the guts to voice the latter question.

Itachi's eyes darkened still before his brother finally spoke. "I've watched you walking around in that fog for too long, Sasuke. And it's painful to know that I pushed you into it." The man sounded sad and tired. "You have to let go of it before it kills you, before that darkness swallows you, too. You've been punished more than enough – stop hating yourself so much and move on."

His head spun painfully and _hurt_ from the voices coming from somewhere very far away tormenting it. "How?" The simple word – filled with desperate rage he hadn't expected – slipped out before he knew it. "How the hell am I supposed to do it? How…?"

Something in Itachi's eyes made words get stuck in his throat. To his surprise, the older male melted into the tiniest of smiles. "Because you have something so much more valuable to grab now. Because Naruto's finally succeeded – I can see and feel it."

The words he uttered next were pretty much the last ones he'd been expecting. "I'm… not sure if I can." In any other place and time his pride would've _never_ allowed him to say that, but here no modesty and rules existed. Besides, he was sick of playing games.

Gosh, although it'd been so long he could still remember that smile on his brother's face so well… "You can't run around in circles forever, Sasuke", the other told him in an oddly soft voice. "You have a lot of life ahead of you with Naruto, and your son."

He blinked twice, not quite understanding. "Son…?"

Itachi nodded slowly, like not entirely sure if he was ready to take in this piece of information. "Go, Sasuke." For the last time, they both knew painfully well, the boy poked his forehead with two fingers. "Go, and don't ever let go like this again, understood?"

He closed his eyes, embarrassed and not understanding the turmoil that was suddenly raging inside him. Before grayness swallowed him he could've sworn he felt his brother's familiar, comforting arms around him.

The whisper he thought he heard may have as well been his imagination. "_Good luck, Sasuke._"

* * *

Iruka couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside without anyone escorting him – literally. That's why he blinked a little when he emerged from his tiny house that night, wondering exactly where his feet were so anxious to lead him. After standing still for almost a full minute he finally started to move although his feet barely supported his weight, heading towards an unknown destination, blissfully unaware of the pitying looks the people he passed gave him. Each step hurt and required more effort than the last, but he was determined not to fail.

In the end he blinked twice when finding himself stood before a huge stone that had a seemingly endless list of names engraved to it. He didn't know how, but a part of him understood in an instant, making him want to gag.

Those people… They'd…

The first visible physical reaction showing was a tremble as his eyes scanned through the names, finally locking to much too familiar surnames.

_Umino_

His parents, he knew, and something terrifyingly powerful squeezed his chest painfully.

A second later, however – as he read a one more name – his body reacted even more violently. At first he felt completely, unbearably cold. Then, without the slightest warning, it felt like all breath had been sucked right out of him, and he couldn't breathe normally anymore.

_Hatake Kakashi_

"Kakashi…"

His head hurt with memories that couldn't find their way out, and only his steely pride kept him from sinking to his knees. His eyes stung hellishly, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart he would've been able to close them.

He felt sick to his stomach, still out of breath, so helplessly alone and sorry that it made him want to scream. And the worst part of all was that he didn't even know _why_ he felt so bad, what he'd lost.

"I…" He barely realized the sound came from him. His throat felt so very tight… "I'm so sorry…" It made things even worse that his head couldn't come up with what exactly he was apologizing for, what he regretted so much.

He had absolutely no clue how long he'd been stood there – simply staring at the name – until a soft voice just managed to reach him. "Iruka?" There was a sad, nearly apologetic look on Yamato's face while the man approached slowly, almost cautiously. The man was holding a flower – it was obvious what the other brunette had come for. "Are you… alright?"

He couldn't understand how it was possible, but he managed to summon a small, sad smile while looking back towards the name on the stone – a person who was now hopelessly lost to him, in more ways than one. "Yes." His voice sounded strange. "I'll be… just fine." The ache he was feeling at the moment would subside, right? After all, how could it last long when he didn't even remember what was causing it.

He barely noticed Yamato's hand when it was laid to his shoulder as a sign of understanding, although a part of him noted that the aura radiating from the man mirrored what he was feeling.

He was almost grateful the rain started just then, sparing his dignity as he closed his eyes.

* * *

After what felt like brief seconds the gray finally faded, and Sasuke found himself floating towards what he assumed to be awareness.

Everything was foggy and hazy.

"Sasuke?" That voice… It was calling him, wasn't it? There was something very familiar to it… "Hey, open your eyes, will you? You've been asleep for five days already."

He frowned, not managing to obey just yet.

Five… days? But he'd only closed his eyes for a bit…

Something warm and surprisingly comforting took a hold of his hand, held on tight, protectively. "C'mon, Sasuke." Such despair… "If you fall asleep again, I swear I'll punch you."

_Naruto…_

Rather than those words, the realization of the speaker's identity made him finally obey. Slowly – with so much effort it was nearly ridiculous – his eyes inched halfway open. He frowned when encountering a badly blurry blob of blue and golden. It took a moment before his brain finally started to work. "Nar… uto?"

There was a wet sound – a chuckle, perhaps. "Yeah, teme." The first thing he took in when his vision started to clear was how dangerously bloodshot the other's eyes were. "Do you have any idea how badly you scared me? When… When Sakura told me there was something wrong with your head…" The rest was too jumbled for him to understand.

Just then – so suddenly he actually shuddered at the realization – a rather horrifying thought entered his head without being called, and he found himself tensing up completely. "The baby…", slipped by his lips before he could stop it. Seeing Naruto's expression, he couldn't hold himself back. "The baby… What…?" What the hell had happened? Was it…?

Naruto's enormous grin, however, chased away all his fear. "He's okay – he's been crying a lot because he misses you, but he's okay." He didn't know what to feel about the disappointment he felt when the boy got up, disappearing off somewhere. When the blond came back, there was a bungle wrapped into a blue blanket in the other's arms. "See, little one? I told you _papa_'s gonna be okay, didn't I? You shouldn't have worried so much."

He wasn't entirely sure why his heart moved in the rhythm it did when Naruto handed the baby into his arms he outstretched subconsciously, but he did know that he'd never felt anything even close to what overcame him when he took in the sight before him.

A bush of the blackest hair… Two unbelievably sharp blue eyes, so much like Naruto's it was astounding…

Their eyes clashed together – thoughtful and recognizing – and at that moment the rest of the world disappeared from the mighty, proud Uchiha.

-

"Taichi." (1)

Naruto blinked with surprise, looking the Uchiha's way. "Huh?"

Sasuke took his sweet time before repeating, as though the raven hadn't exactly believed what was happening. "I… think we should name him Taichi."

For just a moment he looked at the other with a nearly disbelieving expression, then – everything starting to slide to place – broke into a huge smile. "Yeah", he murmured, wrapping his arms tenderly around the raven and burying his eyes into the boy's shoulder, determinedly inhaling the scent he'd almost lost. "Taichi sounds perfect."

He'd come close to losing _everything_ – so very close his heart was still pounding. But now, as he had his family in his arms…

Grinning more widely than ever, he leaned and kissed first Sasuke's cheek, then the boy's lips.

-

The parents didn't know how Taichi looked at them with almost wistful, contented eyes that seemed to know far more than they were supposed to. With a soft yawn the baby snuggled closer to his _papa_'s warmth and fell into an untroubled slumber.

-

They also didn't know that through a small window that showed a clear view to the room Suigetsu and Juugo observed the newly formed family.

Juugo felt like arching an eyebrow when he caught the barely traceable change in the other's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Suigetsu's grin didn't seem quite right. "Yup. Now let's go before we're spotted, or Ibiki decides that he's done enough waiting. I don't feel like getting beaten up." The boy turned rather rapidly, starting to walk away. "We're obviously not needed here right now."

He looked at the shorter boy's distancing back for a while, deep in thought, before starting to move himself, leaving the family alone.

* * *

Far away from Konoha, a pair of eyes opened from a long slumber to meet nothing but darkness. A heart jumped painfully, trying to catch up with its usual rhythm. "What…?"

The heart started to hammer as a groggy mind realized with agonizing terror.

_Blind…!_

"Good morning. I was already starting to grow worried."

That voice was easy to recognize, even after weeks – months – of sleep.

"Kab… uto…"

"That's right. Now…" A warm breath could be felt. "I didn't save you and keep you alive for nothing. It's time to start the preparations."

* * *

_**Fifteen Years Later.**_

* * *

Taichi Uzumaki had always loved his village – the green shade of life it had, the peace that'd lasted all his life. Perhaps it was thanks to his father; because the man was the Hokage, he knew his village like the back of his hand, and had learned to love it long ago. And so he started pretty much every morning he could with standing on the Hokage mountain, admiring the view until sun was properly up and the rest of the village started to wake up. It was quiet and peaceful.

Or well, that's how it was in most occasions – he heard approaching steps.

Wind blew through his messy, shortcut black hair when he turned his gaze to find a girl of his age with pale eyes and flaming orange hair. "Should've known you'd be here", the arrival – Takara Umino, an orphan who'd gotten her surname after their teacher who'd adopted her when she was six – stated in a somewhat bored tone. "It's too damn hard to find a place that isn't crowded." (2)

He scoffed, although something inside him shifted uncomfortably. "Do you think you own this spot or something?" He then looked away and folded his arms, his blue eyes darkening a little. "I… need some time to think, before training."

Takara, of course, understood in an instant. "You still haven't told your parents that the ANBU/Root asked you to join, have you?"

He felt like scowling. It was bad enough that the organization's leader Hiashi Hyuuga had approached him without much of a hint to his father – who was supposed to be the leader of the village – but he had a feeling it might've made things even worse if it'd been revealed that he was actually interested in joining to effective yet somewhat notorious organization.

His father was… overprotective, to say the very least. He didn't even dare to think what the man would say and do when hearing these news…

Did Takara just… chuckle? The girl shook her head when he looked at her. "You know, you're probably the only one who looks like that when getting such a honor." She actually smiled, although just a little bit. "Look… Sure, the organization's missions are rough, but it's also a great opportunity. Even your father will understand that, and – damn it, I'm going to regret saying this later – you'll be a great ninja. Everything's gonna work out."

He wasn't able to look away, and found it hard not to smile all of a sudden. Sometimes, that girl wasn't so annoying, after all… "Hn."

Takara quirked an eyebrow. "What's with _that_ face?" Something mischievous appeared to her eyes. "Do you want to kiss me again?"

He growled out loud when looking away. Three damn years, and that stupid, accidental kiss at the academy was _still_ a common joke…! "Just drop it, will you? Besides…" He couldn't resist adding, although he knew he was pushing it. "In case you've forgotten, you did kiss back, Wiseass."

The girl swatted his head rather roughly. He could almost sense her blush. "Shut it, Stinky."

One can only guess what would've happened or been said if they hadn't heard steps rushing towards them. When turning his gaze, the first thing he saw was a bush of golden hair. "Kai?"

The younger child panted once stopping, cheeks glowing red. "He… He's coming back. He's finally coming back."

* * *

While sitting behind his desk Naruto was all but sizzling under his skin, even more impatient than usual and – as Shikamaru, who was currently fighting to choose between two women, had said quite bluntly – in a desperate need to get laid.

A full week – or actually, closer to ten days now. That was how much Sasuke was late from his latest mission. And as much as he believed in the Uchiha's skills, he was rapidly growing worried. What if…?

A knock was barely enough to make him crash back into reality. He turned around from the window he'd been herding for the past two hours to meet a grown up Konohamaru. "Naruto-sama." Gosh, how ridiculously good it felt to hear someone aside his very closest friends call him by his name – sometimes he wondered if the rest of Konoha had forgotten his name wasn't Hokage! The brunette probably wouldn't have even used the ridiculous honorific if there hadn't been people listening with keen ears. In a matter of seconds all his attention locked to the expression on the boy's face, and his heart rose to his throat with hope. Maybe… "There's a team returning from a mission and wishing to report. Should I let them in?"

He nodded far more enthusiastically than someone in his position should've, barely fitting into his own skin with how everything inside him started to crawl. "Yeah, definitely." _Hurry up already!_

With a strange, almost sneaky look on his face the younger male nodded and disappeared. After what felt like an hour to him (although, as the room's clock lied to him, wasn't more than fifteen seconds) two people entered the room.

TenTen was the one to speak first – greeting him and most likely telling something about the mission being a success – but all his attention was easily guided elsewhere.

Beside the brunette stood Sasuke. His careful eyes easily spotted far more bruises than he would've liked to see, but the raven was fine and alive, finally back. Only TenTen's presence kept him from bouncing on the other male right there and then, and he hoped dearly the bulge that appeared in a flash wasn't as big as he feared.

"There was something… interesting, though." Finally TenTen's voice pulled him back from the depths of his filthy thoughts. There was a look he didn't like too much on the woman's face. "On our way here someone was observing us – we couldn't see anyone, but it was easy to sense such a unusual Chakra pattern. One reason to why we're late is that we went investigating. We couldn't find a thing."

He folded his arms. "Do you think there's a threat arising?" It'd been fifteen years from the latest big battle and Madara's death, and he still had scars to remind him of those events. Perhaps he should've known to expect trouble…

This time it was Sasuke who spoke, and despite the rather serious news he felt very comfortable tingle under his skin when hearing the raven's voice. "It's hard to tell how serious this is yet, but we should keep our eyes open."

He nodded, feeling rather cold all of a sudden although he knew there was a chance nothing serious was going on. He then frowned, catching something. "Where's Neji? I thought you were all supposed to come back today."

This time TenTen responded with a strange expression he instantly detected as a bad sign. " He… decided to stay in Suna for a while, now that the mission's over."

He fought the urge to wince.

Hiashi was _not_ going to like this…

"Can I go now?" TenTen's eyes held pretty much everything he'd been feeling for the past four weeks. "Lee and the twins are waiting for me, and I don't dare to even think what they've done to the house. You'll get my report the first thing tomorrow."

Naruto grinned, understanding. Lee had been basically climbing up the walls lately – he knew exactly why TenTen was worried. "Nah, no rush. Have fun."

With a blush and a wave of hand the brunette left.

As soon as she was gone, Naruto didn't bother holding himself back any longer. Faster than Sasuke could open his mouth he'd bounced from his seat, taken the surprisingly light Uchiha easily into his arms and laid the raven to his desk.

Sasuke's eyebrow bounced up while something close to hunger lit into the boy's eyes. "Impatient, much?"

After giving a toothy grin he attacked the raven's neck, making the boy shudder under his hold. "Hmph, like you'd be any better."

His words were only proven when he felt busy, extremely skilled hands working on his clothes. Those gleaming black pools clashed with his once more. "Pervert."

He grinned again. "You know… I take that as a compliment."

The sounds soon erupting from the room made everyone close enough to hear blush with embarrassment and exchange weird looks.

* * *

A couple of hours later – after rather miraculously and with reluctance he would've never admitted out loud managing to sneak away from Naruto's office – Sasuke entered their house for the first time in a month. His eyebrow twitched and the tiniest grin appeared when he discovered the mess spreading around.

_So the dobe still hasn't learnt to clean up…_

For some reason that thought was almost comforting. Although they'd grown up a lot, at least some things never changed.

Just then his thoughts were cut by a voice he'd never grow tired of hearing. " _Papa_?" Turning his gaze, he found his younger son – a nine-year-old with Naruto's blond hair and his dark eyes named Kai – all but sprint out from his room, eyes shining. Before he could do more than blink he had his lap full of an excited child. "You're finally back! That mission took too long – I was worried!"

A couple of decades or even less ago he might've scowled and pushed the kid away. Now, however, he wrapped one arm around the child, never knowing of the hint of a smile dancing on his lips. "Yeah, I'm back." Then, swallowing all his pride, he added. "Sorry it took so long."

The child, if that was even possible, cling even more tightly, making it hard to breathe, and he wondered when in the world his son had gained such strength.

Just then the apartment's door opened and Kai let go abruptly, apparently not wanting anyone to see the childish embrace. He wondered if his eyes softened when he found Taichi entering, the faintest flush on the boy's face suggesting he'd been running.

For a couple of moments they simply eyed each other, making a soundless checkup. "Are you okay?" the teen asked in the end.

He nodded, holding back a knowing look. Sometimes that boy was so much like him it was frightening… "After a shower, yeah." That was all what needed to be said at the moment – he'd ask what was bothering his son later, and the boy would without a doubt make several questions about his annoyingly visible wounds. He gave both of his sons a look. "I'll be back in a second, okay? Try to act civilized in the meantime."

-

While watching their _papa_ disappear with a limp that most likely had nothing to do with the mission, Taichi found himself grinning a little. "You know what this means, right? We're going to have ramen tonight."

Kai immediately wrinkled his nose. "Eww!"

The older brother shook his head and sighed. "You have no taste for good food, you know?"

(The argument, as usual, continued for forty-five minutes after that, until Sasuke got tired of it and broke them off. )

-

In the bathroom Sasuke found it hard not to smile while listening to his sons' voices and letting hot water wash over him.

Yes. Being back in Konoha wasn't bad at all.

He, of course, would never admit it out loud, though.

* * *

Much later that evening – when it was already almost dark – Taichi's thoughts were straying while he practiced throwing to the trees spreading all around.

It was a relief to have his _papa_ back, to notice that things were once again at least close to normal. But his problem still remained, and not another day passed by without Hiashi pressing him to make up his mind. And even with what Takara had said…

He frowned, almost scowled.

He was _not _about to think of her again. His best friend or not, she made his head hurt sometimes.

All of a sudden his train of thought was cut when he sensed someone observing him. He fought back a grin while looking towards a nearby bush. "Kai, come here, will you? I know it's you."

The child blinked rather adorably while doing as ordered. "How… did you know I was there, brother?"

He willed himself to grin a bit. "Let's say that I have a lot more experience than you do." He then quirked an eyebrow, folding his arms. "Were you spying on me?"

His brother folded his arms the exact same way as he, all but pouting. "No."

To his own surprise he smiled a little, then moved. "C'mon", he ordered in a soft tone. When seeing his little brother's perplexed expression he went on. "Do you want to learn?"

Kai's black eyes lit up in a way he'd never seen before. " Will you teach me, brother?"

"Sure thing." He offered his hand. "Now, as I said, let's go. You want to start training as soon as possible, right?"

His brother didn't hesitate.

-

From not too far away, a pair of thoughtful onyx eyes watched as the brothers walked away hand in hand, the younger one jabbering almost constantly.

To Sasuke, the scene was so familiar it was almost painful.

"Sasuke?" Naruto seemed close to worried. "What's wrong?"

He turned his face away – towards where no one could see his expression – and allowed himself a barely traceable, rare smile while shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, but he didn't care. "I was just… remembering something."

He could feel the blond's confusion, and was beyond glad the other chose not to ask a thing. Instead a warm hand years had made rougher slipped into his. "Now let's get going."

He arched an eyebrow. "Go where?"

The blond snorted. "Are you freaking kidding me? You've been away for a month – I was going out of my mind here!" Once oh so innocent blue eyes gleamed in a way the Uchiha recognized very well. "We're going home, right now."

His body liked the way Naruto touched him very, very much, and when the blond's mouth and tongue found his it didn't even cross his mind to fight back.

Damn, had it been a long month…!

* * *

Quite early in the next morning, Naruto and Sasuke met Sakura outside a tiny chapel.

Although their teenage days were far-gone, Naruto couldn't keep himself from arching an eyebrow at the beautiful, white and blue kimono Sakura had chosen. "You… look beautiful", he complimented. "Definitely like an adult."

It said something about how much things had changed that Sakura didn't blush at those words, only smiled with something that wasn't caused by his words. "Thanks, Naruto."

As the three former team members stood there, all old feelings long since left behind, they all mused with some amusement that things had definitely changed a lot.

"Where is he, anyway?" Sakura muttered eventually, her hands squirming restlessly. "He's never…"

"Sorry I'm late." They turned around to find a somewhat flushed Iruka approaching. "I… left Yamato to the chapel with Sai, and Tsunade-sama's also there. It's time to get started."

Sakura nodded eagerly, although some nervousness could be seen from her face, while her hand flew to her mightily swollen abdomen.

Her father had passed away a few years ago, so she'd asked Iruka – who, although he still couldn't remember most of his past, had become very close to her while she'd helped the man recover – to walk her down the isle today, only a week before her baby should be born. He'd been more than happy to accept the task and become a part of the tiny group that participated to the wedding.

Iruka whispered something to Sakura's ear that made her smile before they walked into the chapel. Naruto's eyes widened a bit at what was inside.

Although the wedding was this small, the whole chapel was filled with flowers and this amazing, intoxicating scent that almost made his head spin; the place was _beautiful_.

As soon as Sasuke and he had taken their seats the music started, and by Iruka's side a somewhat nervous looking yet smiling Sakura started to approach Sai, who – if that was even possible – seemed to be almost fidgeting while stood beside Yamato. While the couple joined hands Iruka and Yamato exchanged a long, meaningful look before the longhaired man took a seat.

Tsunade – who'd aged quite a bit during the past fifteen years – smiled at the couple before her. "It is one of life's richest surprises when the accidental meeting of two life paths lead them to proceed together along the common path as husband and wife. It is one of life's finest experiences when a casual relationship grows into a permanent bond of love. This meeting and this growth bring us together today." She held a tiny pause before going on. " You may take the vows."

Sai swallowed thickly, and it took a long moment before he managed to speak in an unusually feeble tone. "Sakura, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

When it was her turn, all of Sakura's uneasiness disappeared, and the smile that'd been on her face the entire time widened so that it was almost enough to outshine the sunlight seeping in through the chapel's windows. "Sai, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

Without really noticing what he was doing Naruto slipped his hand into Sasuke's and squeezed. The tiniest of smiles appeared to his face when there was a clearly detectable response.

No matter how hard he'd tried, there was no overpowering Konoha's ancient laws without changing half of the council; marriage was out of question for gay couples, even for someone as mighty as the Hokage himself. Sasuke and he weren't exactly able to hide their affair, of course – two children made that kind of hard – but to him it would've been a nice thought to make their relationship official in such a way.

When Sasuke returned his hold, however, he came to a conclusion that perhaps something as trivial and insignificant as a ring and those vows didn't matter to them, really. With their history – all that pain, longing, tears, near-death experiences and the times they'd found each other again – such things felt pretty trivial. He couldn't really ask for anything more when he already had everything he'd ever wanted.

While the newly wedded couple got lost into a deep kiss, he found himself grinning while Sasuke rolled his eyes and Yamato, Iruka and Tsunade tried to hold back smiles.

Sometimes, he mused, fate took a detour before it could finally get to where it was supposed to be.

* * *

In the meantime Suigetsu and Juugo – who were just returning from a mission – bickered childishly while they'd almost walked through Konoha's gates already.

" … had listened to me, that man wouldn't have gotten away!" Juugo all but barked out, his arms moving rather animatedly.

Suigetsu scoffed, feeling fed up with this already. "In case you didn't notice I had my hands full – I had three of those jackasses attacking me like a pack of raging mutts!"

Juugo rolled his eyes. "They might've left you alone if you hadn't stolen their sake while we were supposed to _observe_ them."

He opened his mouth for a comeback, when all words got stuck in his throat as he spotted something in the forest nearby. His eyes widened.

That haircut, those glasses…

"Karin…?"

He could tell Juugo glanced his way. "Did you say something?"

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. The vision was gone. He shuddered.

Was he finally losing it? After all, she couldn't be alive. Right?

"It's… nothing." He wished he would've sounded more convincing. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

That night – as the Uchiha lay by Naruto's side, taking in the blond's familiar scent – Sasuke found his head whirring while he brought a hand to his stomach.

The newest pregnancy was only at the very beginning, barely past the first month – he'd found out about it during the mission, when he'd found himself throwing up gloriously the fifth morning in a roll. And he had no idea how to feel about it.

Back when Taichi had been born, he'd been told that it was more than likely he wouldn't be getting any more children; not only was there so much scarring and damage that it was unlikely a pregnancy would begin, but it was also stated that his body wouldn't be able to make it through the turmoil. But then, against all odds, he'd been starting to expect Kai. The pregnancy had been even harder than the first one, and according to Sakura it was a pure miracle he made it through it, not to even mention the childbirth.

And now… Another child, the third time of going through all that? He found it chillingly hard to believe he'd have any more miracles left. And he wondered if he'd ever get to see this child – a girl, he already knew.

Shrugging away that depressing thought, he got out of the bed – carefully making sure he wouldn't wake up Naruto – and found himself gathering strength of mind while walking forth. In the end he found himself from the house's so called office, before a drawer he hadn't dared to open in over fifteen years. Now, he found it sliding open almost scarily easily. Inside were still the letter and the box Itachi had supposedly sent him, both untouched. Now – after all those years and ignoring all the furious protests of his head – he took them, and first opened the box. He frowned a little at what was inside.

A small, silvery pendant that had the picture of a feather engraved to it. For some reason looking at him made his skin tingle.

_What…?_

It wasn't until then he properly noticed the letter just below his fingertips. Not sure if he even wanted to know what was in it he took the piece of paper and started to read, his hands trembling slightly without him noticing it.

_I gave this letter and the pendant to Kisame in case you'd find out the truth after my death. This is the last option I have left to make sure you won't go further down the road I've been trying to keep you away from._

_My life's been practically lost since I was ten, since I found out about this sickness. But you still have hope, people who care about you a lot. And that's why I need you to stop running towards the shadows. You have a long life ahead of you, and you'll achieve things you can't even imagine yet. Don't throw all that to waste._

_This pendant belonged once to someone very precious to me. _(3) _Now I want you to have it, as a sign that there's always hope._

_Cling to life, Sasuke. Because I'll be watching to make sure you do._

His eyes felt oddly hot and stung while he lowered the hand holding the piece of paper, feeling too much to be able to name all of the turmoil.

Itachi… Even through death he'd…

"Sasuke?" He shivered a little at Naruto's voice, and again when a gentle hand was laid to his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and after a moment – knowing no one was there to witness such a sign of weakness – placed his own hand on top of the blond's. Fortunately the Uzumaki knew better than to say a word.

He lost track of time so badly that he had absolutely no clue how long they'd been there when Naruto spoke all of a sudden, in a voice he barely recognized. "What do you say if we go back to bed? I'm tired."

His eyes still remained on the letter and pendant, and it took a couple of moments before his muscles moved. His motions were uncharacteristically soft while he folded the piece of paper and put it away, then closed his free hand around the jewellery. One day his daughter would receive it – until then it'd be around his neck, to make sure he'd never forget… "Yes", he murmured, getting up slowly. "Bed sounds like a good idea."

-

While holding Sasuke in his arms about fifteen minutes later – with the Uchiha sound asleep, calm and comfortably warm against him – Naruto found himself smiling while he stroked the man's silky hair.

Without a doubt there'd be a lot of trouble in the horizon – the games of fate were fickle, new enemies were bound to appear, and peace never lasted for eternity. But he wasn't afraid.

He had his friends and family by his side, he had so much love pushing him forth. And, as he knew, the new generation that'd soon start their own fight was far stronger than any of the former ones.

Come what may, the will of fire would never die out.

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_**Owari.**_

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1) Taichi, Itachi... (grins) Couldn't resist.

2) To those wondering... Yes, this is the daughter of Pein and Konan, whom she was carrying.

3) It's been confirmed that Itachi had a lover. That person is the one to whom this refers. (grins)

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**DISCLAIMER**: I didn't make the vows Sakura and Sai took – they've been found from the internet, un.

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(sniff) So… It's actually over, huh? I still can't believe it! (sniff, sniff) Heh, what can I say? It's always sad to let a story go.

**As for the future**. I've been thinking… There are some scenes I thought about adding to this story, but decided not to. Now, if there are scenes YOU would've liked to see, feel free to tell me! I'm thinking about adding a some kind of 'deleted scenes' –collection as a new chappy. (grins)

But now… Goodness, you guys, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the absolutely astounding amount of reviews and love this story has received! You've seriously kept my inspiration up, and this story owes its life to ya guys. (grins) So THANK YOU – you guys definitely ROCK! (huggles, and showers with all kinds of special treats)

PLEASE, do remember to leave a review before leaving this story, so I'll know what you thought about this ending!

As for now… Once more thank you, and all the best to every single one of you!

**Take care!**


	10. AUTHOR'S NOTE about a possible sequel

**Hey there folks!**

WOAH, has it been a while! But now I'm back with some news. (grins somewhat nervously)

The thing is, that I'm planning on making a sequel called '_The Tricks of Destiny' _for this story - it may appear as soon as in a day or two. I think it'd have ten or so chapters. Would you guys be willing to read such?

**The full summary goes something like this**: Four months after 'TGOF', things seem rather tense between Naruto and a very pregnant Sasuke. What has happened? Things are made even more complicated when two old enemies arrive - and the life of one of their sons soon hangs in a balance as the chase for the Kyuubi begins once again. Will their family make it through this one? Will Sasuke survive through the childbirth?

So... Whadda you say? Would anyone of you be on board for this?

Gah, I've gotta get going now! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all those amazing reviews I got for the final chapter, btw - you guys are AMAZING!

I really hope I'll see you guys again soon!

Have a great week!

~Sandy~

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**cherryblossom4280**: My GOSH, how good it feels to hear that you enjoyed your stay with the story! (beams)

Colossal thank yous for the lovely review!

I really hope ya'll find another story from my 'collection' you like and that I'll c ya soon!


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